Questionnaire Survey Method for Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Questionnaire Survey Method for Research - Essay Example There are various methods of research available including statistical analysis, simulations, observations, interviews, action oriented research, case study based research etc. Depending upon the field of research, the major approaches to research methodology differs and research in social science fields rely mainly on qualitative and quantitative research. In conducting qualitative or quantitative research, various research tools are utilised and questionnaires remain a key component in survey based research activities. Motives behind initiating a qualitative research is mainly to uncover or establish a basic understanding, knowledge or a hypothesis pertaining to a certain issue. Such research often lays the foundation for further research of quantitative nature, which can establish the validity of new knowledge generated through the qualitative research. Qualitative research differs from quantitative research on grounds of what is being researched of. â€Å"Qualitative research involves the collection of data about attitudes, beliefs and intensions† (Hall et al 2004). The objective of qualitative research is to unearth in-depth knowledge of reasons, which drives the human behavior while quantitative research on the other hand is concerned of data that can be measured. While there are numerous means of conducting qualitative research, methods such as focus groups, surveys through application of unstructured or semi structured questionnaires as well as participant observations (Wolcott 1995). Surveys remain one of the major forms of research and the most widely used where quantitative research is concerned. â€Å"Survey research is the method of gathering data from respondents thought to be representative of some population, using an instrument composed of closed structure or open-ended questions† (Survey Research 2006). Nature of survey research allows effective and efficient data gathering from a large population and thus

General Electric Crotonville ampus Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

General Electric Crotonville ampus - Case Study Example In recent years, GE has embraced organisational management with a program such as the one they are sponsoring firms to come up with efficient and clean energy for America. Q2. GE management innovation where it centralized its decision-making in the 1950’s drew towards a classical management approach and adaptation of the six-sigma approach to management drew a lot on behavioural management theory. In a bid to increase their efficiency and output, GE has adopted a contingency perspective where they approach issues from different angles, they have used techniques such as six sigma to ensure all departments operate at their optimal level; in addition, they have a training facility to train their employees in order to increase their output. Q3. GE has been successful in integrating the management science in its operation due to training of their employees especially in management, the training made sure that the employees were already operating near optimal points therefore it was much easier for them to implement management science approaches such as the six sigma Q4. Developing new leaders is the key to sustainable growth according to GE. Leaders who are passionate about giving their clients the best, who know their products and market well, as well as being innovative. In view of this, general electric has set up a training facility in Crotonville where about 9000 of its employees are trained on leadership annually in order to improve their leadership skills. Q5. GE’s Crotonville Leadership campus General Electric Crotonville campus otherwise known as John F Welch leadership development centre was founded in 1956 as the first corporate school in the world. It is located at the hamlet of Crotonville in New York and hosts about 10,000 employees of General Electric every year, these employees range from entry-level employees to the top management of the firm globally where they learn a lot in leadership (Durett 26). The Crotonville campus offers a wid e range of courses for their clients that include leadership courses for new managers focusing on development, business impact and external focus, customer programs including executive briefing, change management and integration. Other courses are executive courses in leadership, innovation, strategy and manager development and critical skill such as presentation, hiring, team building and project management. In addition to offering the management leadership courses, General Electric Crotonville campus encourages intercultural and interracial interactions between its employees with the courses having more than half of the population coming from outside the United States of America. Other affinity groups of Crotonville campus also offer opportunities that encourage diversity for instance the ‘leading and learning’ summit that is hosted by GE women’s network invites more than 150 women to interact where more than two thirds are customers and suppliers of General El ectric. In order to reach their global leaders and customers in the whole world, General Electric has spread the Crotonville experience to the rest of the world with special global courses in the various parts that include sharing best experiences in Asia. Others include management development in Europe, learning in Abu Dhabi where General Electric has collaborated with Mubadala Development Company, growing teamwork in Asia and on the ground in Africa (Stefanovich 64) The structure at the General Electric

Impact Of Casino Gambling On Crime In Singapore

Impact Of Casino Gambling On Crime In Singapore Gambling is an illegal activity in Singapore. Under the Singapore law, only those with licenses such as, Singapore Pools and The Singapore Turf Club are legally to offer gambling to the public. Sport betting, horseracing, and lottery wagers are only allow for persons of age 21 and above. In 2006, Singapore government decided to allow two new Integrated Resorts, the Marina Bay Sand and Resorts World Sentosa with casinos. The government believes that these two Integrated Resorts would provide a strong boost to the economy and job opportunity to the country. The decision by the Singapore government to set up two integrated resorts with casinos has stirred up some debate among its citizens. Some people think that having casinos could mean more people gambling and getting themselves or their families involved in trouble such as crime. In addition, social problems like bankruptcy, divorce, suicide, income loss and problem gambling may also be increased after a casino was introduced in Sing apore. Singapore has just officially opened its two casinos in February and April 2010. The government has enhanced the regulation of casino gambling in order to mitigate the negative effects of gambling. The new casino gambling laws has provided a number of social safeguards to prevent Singapore citizens and permanent residents from becoming problem gamblers. These social safeguards include entry levies, credit and loss limits, self-exclusion order and protection of minors (MCYS 2005). Objectives According to The Straits Times (2004), Singapore has become No.3 in the world in terms of gambling per capital without a casino. Many Singaporean like to travel to Genting Highland (Malaysia) and gamble at its casino. Some on them would also go on Star Cruise to try out their luck on the limited number of slots and gambling tables. Gambling is not new to the average Singaporean but having a casino is a relatively new phenomenon in Singapore. Hence, this proposed research will focus on the relationship between casinos and crime in Singapore. The research will also assess the quality of life before and after the casinos opened in Singapore, and measure the effectiveness of social safeguards. A survey will be conducted to determine the public perceptions of changes in crime and the quality of life that may have accompanied the advent of casinos. In addition, qualitative data reflecting quality of life will be gathered from interviews of community leaders, police officers, businessperson s and social service providers. Finally, recommendations for actions to help to combat casino gambling-related crime will also be discussed in the research. The followings are some hypotheses (H) that I will be investigate in this research: H1. Casinos gambling increase crime. H2. Casinos gambling have negative effects on quality of life. H3. Higher casino levy will not be more effective in deterring problem gamblers. Literature Review Casinos are often associated with criminal activity. A number of studies in the United States and Canada that have analyzed the relationship between casino gambling and crime have yield contradictory and inconclusive results. Grinols wrote the article: Casino gambling causes crime in 2000 and he has pointed out that the evidence in his research has shown that casino gambling causes significant increases in crime. According to the article, a number of pathological gamblers have lost control over their gambling behavior, personal lives and job. They relied on other to provide money to relieve a desperate financial situation caused by gambling. Moreover, some of them got themselves involved in illegal activities. One of study gamblers in treatment found that 62 percent committed crimes because of their gambling and nearly 400 members of Gamblers anonymous showed that 57 percent admitted stealing to finance their gambling (E.L.Grinols 2000). The study proves that casino gambling related to crime. In the same year, Grinols conducted a research (Casinos, Crime and Community Costs, June 2000) with Professor David Mustard, Cynthia Hunt Dilley to examine crime statistics for all 3,165 counties in the United States from 1977 to 1996. They looked at local crime rates before and after casinos opened. The data shows that crime rate increased after the casino had begun operation in the majority of the casino counties. However, the data also indicate that there was no significant rise in crime rates for the first three years after casino opened and the crime rates began to rise in casino counties after three years. The study concludes that the crime rate in the casino counties is higher than counties without casino. Las Vegas, for example, the crime rate is higher than other counties. This study has certain limitations that need to be taken into account when considering its contribution. There are many strengths and limitations of official statistics (crime statistics). They offer the opportunity to identify trends in crime overtime as well as look at more than just the crime committed by problem and pathological gamblers. However, these data only show the rate of recorded crimes and they may not be an accurate reflection to the actual crime being committed in society. In addition, researcher may also find it difficult to analyze the share of crime related to casinos from the mass of other crime that occurs all the time. It is difficult to prove that the advent of casino has the direct effects on crime. Thus, researchers have to get various sources in order to prove the validity and reliability of their study. Grinols and Mustard did another the study in February 2006 on Casinos, Crime, and Community Costs. The study is a remarkable contribution to the gambling literature. The study provide as detailed discussion of theoretical connection between casinos and crime. The authors discuss two potential factors through which casinos may reduce crime. First, if casinos provide labor market for low-skilled workers, crime may fall. Second, economic growth effects attributable to casino gambling that could reduce crime. On the other hand, they also discuss the five potential negative effects of casinos on crime. First, casinos drain the local economy of resources and may harm economic development. Second, casinos may contribute to an increased crime payoff. Third, casinos may increase the number of pathological gamblers, and this can lead to more crime. Fourth, casinos may also attract criminal activities, resulting in more crime. Finally, casinos may induce a change in local population, towards one more apt to commit crimes. According to the result of the study, casino gambling has generated externality costs, and crime is one of the biggest components of these social costs. Grinols and Mustard believe that the social costs of casinos are greater than benefits. Joseph Friedman, Simon Hakim and J. Weinblatt did a study in 1989 on Casino gambling as growth pole strategy and its effect on crime. They have found that casinos had increased the level of crime in Atlantic City. Another study, done in 1989 by Simon Hakim, Andrew J. Buck and Uriel Spiegel, centered on Atlantic City and 64 communities in surrounding area. They assume that casinos in an areas increase the crime rate in that area. Based on their (Hakim and Buck) theory, the opening of a new public area such as casino will attract attention that is more public and create opportunities for criminal. However, Eadington (1996) argues that the introduction of theme parks or resorts into an area could have similar negative effects as do casinos on the areas crime. For example, the crime rate has been increased after the Mall of America (super-regional shopping mall) opened in Bloomington, Minnesota (R.Garcia, L. Nicholls 1995). Hence, Eadington (1995, p7) has concluded that there is no compelling evidence that crime rates in cities with casinos are much different than in cities with tourist attractions in general. His argument is similar to Hakim and Bucks theory but he suggest that the crime rate increased is not due to the casino per se. Scott T. Horn, a New York civil appeals lawyer disagrees with Hakim and Bucks theory. He did a study on Casinos and Crime: Dont Bet On it in 1997, which concluded that there is probably no relationship between casinos gambling and total crime rate. To overcome the weaknesses of the Hakim-Buck model, Scott develop a model to predict the casino gambling on crime rate by using data from crime statistics and FBIs Crime Report. According to his theory, cities with significant number of casinos, the increase in casinos, which would in turn increase in crime rate, would have little impacts on overall crime rates. This is because there has been a decline in the novelty effect. The results and conclusion of the study differed from the studies that I have mentioned earlier. Horn (1997, p4) concludes that, the effect of casinos on crime will decrease at a decreasing rate with each additional casino opened in any given region. Las Vegas has over 250 casinos, Macau has 28, Singapore has two now. Based on Horns theory, the effect of casinos on crime rate in Singapore would be more significant than Las Vegas or Macau when a casino first open in Singapore. However, the crime rate would decrease with the opening of second or even the third casino. Few studies have also examined the effects of casinos on crime. Those studies that have analyzed the relationship between casino gambling and crime have yielded contradictory results. Most of them are using vague references to survey or fanciful figures to support their claims. U.S News World Report perform a computer analysis and shows that town with casinos have experienced a rise in crime at the same time it was dropping for the nation as a whole (S.T.Horn 1997). However, in terms of validity, the present result may not be accurate and reasonable reliable because the report never mentioned on how the computer analyzed the data. There are many studies focus on the relationship between casino gambling and crime in the United States, only a handful of studies have examined the casino gambling in Asia. Macau is openly known as a casino state in Asia. It has more than 30 casinos and 4,600 gaming tables, which has overtaken Las Vegas in terms of gaming revenue (China Daily, 2009). However, the total number of crime in this island city has increased from 4,717 in 1987 to 8,576 in 1996 over the last decade. Crime rate per capita has increased from 14.11 per 1,000 people in 1987 to 20.62 per 1,000 people in 1996 (S.H. Lo 2005). This has created a serious social problems directly affect the residents daily life. Nevertheless, the crime statistics may not be able to reflect the reality as some people may not report the crime because of the complicated procedures and time wasted. Despite the proliferation of legalized casino gambling in Asia, Europe and United States, it remains controversial with regard to both its effect on crime as well as its effects on the diverse socio-economic aspects of the community. According to a study (H. Lesieur 1996) on gambling and crime, a heavy concentration of casinos in an area is associated with tourism-related crime and some communities with casinos have little or no measurable crime impact. The author also claims that the pathological gamblers may commit crimes to finance their gambling (H. Lesieur 1996). Yet, the UCR (Uniform Crime Reporting Survey) measures are not precise enough to gauge all changes in the incidence of crime. Casino is often used as a panacea for economic ills. Casino gambling in the United States has provided new capital investments, jobs and some degree of economic vitality to areas that were in need of economic revitalization (B.G. Stitt, M. Nicholas 2000). On the other hand, casinos do change peoples pattern of spending and saving. For example, in 1992, a study has reported that Americans spent more on legal gambling than on other leisure activities such as reading or watching movies (S.Simurda 1994). In addition, the impact of casinos on a community quality of life is difficult to gauge. For example, casinos bring tourists and entertainment but other recreational amenities (theaters, karaoke lounges, and restaurants) bring traffic, noise and a change in communitys traditional social and cultural environment. Whether the change is in positive or negative, it all depends on the individual and his or her view of gambling, and the changes it brings to a community. Ultimately, the evalua tion of casinos impact on a country may well depend on the countrys pre-casino well being, as well as each individuals assessment of the benefit and detriments that casinos bring to the country, and to each individuals lifestyle (B.G. Stitt, M. Nicholas 2000). Methodology and Data Collection In order to produce a more comprehensive understanding of the study, a multi-method approach will be applied to examine the immediate effects of the casino gambling on crime, quality of life, economic development, and social costs. To analyze these issues, I have chosen Singapore where casino gambling has recently been introduced. Information will be obtaining by conducting a survey and a series of in-depth interviews with selected participants. I will use both quantitative and qualitative data to analyze the various short terms impacts that the introduction of casino gambling may have on Singapore. The following types of information will be gathered: 1. Obtaining the crime statistic from Singapore Police Force (SPF) 2. Conducting a public opinion survey 3. Gathering the data on the crime and quality of life by interviewing community leaders (Member of Parliament), police officers, businesspersons, problem gamblers, and social service providers 4. Gathering data on local quality of life from public sources (e.g., suicide data from Registry of Births and Deaths, Singapore Immigration and Registration; bankruptcy statistic from Singapore Ministry of Law; divorce rate from The State of the Family in Singapore Report) 5. Collecting data on the economic impacts of casino gambling from public data resource such as Statistic Singapore and Singapore Ministry of Manpower Participants need to meet two criteria in order to be eligible to take part in the survey. First, the participant must be at least 21 years of age. Second, the participant must have been live in Singapore for at least 5 years. Furthermore, researchers need to be aware of the ethical issues when conducting a survey and interview. All the personal information of the research participants should be kept strictly confidential. Data on the crime rate Crime statistics can be obtained from SPF. The crime rate is based on the total population that comprises Singapore residents and foreigners staying in Singapore for at least one year. Crime classes refer to the six classes of Crimes Against Persons, Violent Property Crimes, Housebreaking and Related Crimes, Theft and Related Crimes, Commercial Crimes, and Miscellaneous Crimes. With the opening of two casinos in Singapore, an elite police department has been set up to investigate casino-related crime. This department would be able to provide an accurate number of crimes attributable to casinos. Casino-related crimes will be distinguished from the overall criminal activities. Casinos attract a large number of people, many of whom may be visitors from other countries. Therefore, crime rates that adjusted by the local population rather than the population at risk (local population plus visitors) will bias crime rate upward. To avoid this bias, population at risk will be controlled by gathering data on the number of foreign casino visitors and these data are routinely collected by the casinos. I will conduct the interviews with police officer in order to know more about latest crime trend and increase police resources regarding casino gambling. Economic factors must be considered when examining the relationship between casino gambling. This is because economic factors can influence crime rates in a country. According to the economic approach to crime, opportunity cost is relative to the increased criminal activity (G.S. Becker 2001). Difference in opportunities people face such as unemployment rate and median household income are the primary determinant of committing a crime. For example, higher unemployment rate and lower median incomes are expected to be positively correlated with criminal activity because the opportunity costs of incarceration are lower. Similarly, crime rates are expected to be higher as the proportion of the population below the poverty line increases or during economic downturns (B.G. Stitt, M. Nicholas 2000). Public Opinion Survey A public opinion survey will be conducted and the survey responses will be completely anonymous and voluntarily. The data collected will contain the perception data and opinion. In order to archive reliable results, 250 of randomly selected participants (Citizens and permanent residents) will be involved in the survey. This survey includes questions regarding quality of life in Singapore. For example, respondents will be asked to evaluate the impact of casino gambling have on their lives in particular, have they perceived the changes in crime, do they feel there is an increase in employment options, financial well being, and recreational opportunity, do they think having casinos is good or bad to the country, etc. These are some of the important questions that provide the information that will not likely show up in an examination of crime statistics. The survey will be designed to ask questions in three general areas. The first area of the survey will include the demographic information such as age, marital status, gender, race, education background, and the income of the participant. The second area will ask opinion of participants on the impact of the existence casinos on Singapore. The third area, participants will be asked the questions regarding gambling behavior (e.g., Have the participant ever been to the casino? How many times do they go in a month? How much do they spend gambling on average?) . Data on Quality of life and Social Problem Social problems such as family dysfunction, divorce, spouse abuse, suicide, and bankruptcy often mentioned when discussing the impact of casino gambling. These are important determinants of the social costs of casino gambling. Quantitative information on these variables can be obtained from the gambling related organizations and government departments. These include: National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG): http://www.ncpg.org.sg/ Registry of Births Deaths Citizen Services Centre, Immigration Checkpoint Authority (ICA): http://www.ica.gov.sg/page.aspx?pageid=144secid=143 Ministry of Law: http://app2.mlaw.gov.sg/ State of Families in Singapore Report: http://fcd.ecitizen.gov.sg/NR/rdonlyres/19BA7E14-E7C6-464B-9251-22D3D2C559D2/0/Chpt1.pdf Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports: http://app.mcys.gov.sg/web/faml_supfaml_familyservicesctr.asp The number of divorce, suicide and spouses abuse is available on the website mentioned above. However, it is difficult to know the portion of those caused by gambling related problems. Therefore, personal interviews with counselors and social workers provide a great opportunity for me to evaluate the benefit and costs of casino gambling. In addition, the effectiveness of social safeguards can be measured through the survey and interviews. Personal phone interviews with the pathological and problem gamblers enable me to explore their perspectives on casino gambling and social safeguards, as well as to understand the effects on the gamblers family and society. The effectiveness of social safeguards can also be measured by gathering the data from the two casinos, which provide the number of visitors (Citizens and permanents residents). Data on the Economic Impact of Casino Gambling The qualitative information will be gathered to augment information that obtained from the crime statistic and the public opinion survey. The economic impacts of casino gambling are tangible and quantifiable. Data of the positive and negative impacts of casino gambling on tax revenue, tourism industry, other business (e.g., movie theaters, pub, karaoke lounges, restaurants and retail shops), employment, wages, the number of people on welfare and property values can be obtained from public records (e.g., court records, police records, criminal records and criminal history, arrest records), Statistic Singapore, government departments. (e.g., Singapore Tourism Board and Ministry of Manpower). The chambers of commerce, public officials and local businesses are valuable sources of information. I can gather these data from personal or phone interviews with them. Social benefits are important consideration when examining casino gambling. Questions will be focus on the positive or negative i mpacts of casinos to the countrys economic development such as infrastructure improvement, increased tax revenue and police resources. Tourism development and improvement of infrastructures are some benefits that casino gambling may provide. This type of information may not available publicly but is readily available by speaking with officials in the chamber of commerce or community leaders. Casino gambling may increase or decrease welfare rolls. On one hand, casinos may provide job and reduce welfare rolls. On the other hand, problem gambling may lead to unemployment and an increase in welfare rolls. Similarly, casinos may boost the tourism industry or harm other businesses if potential customers spend their money on casino gambling. The perceptions and opinion of public official and businesspersons will provide much valuable insight into these issues. Local media (e.g., journalist, reporters) can provide me additional information on the perceptions and the impacts of casino gambling. These data can be gathered from local newspaper or website. Data Analysis A mix of quantitative data and qualitative data will be gathered in this study. The analysis of quantitative survey data and statistic data is time consuming therefore analysis of quantitative data will be conducted first followed by the analysis of qualitative data. Quantitative Data The statistical data analysis will be used to examine the hypotheses in the proposed research. Data on crime rate, income level, bankruptcy, divorce, suicide, spouse abuse , and welfare rolls are the quantitative data that eligible for statistical analysis. All statistical approaches will involve before and after analysis to examine whether there have been a systematic change in crime and social disruption following the advent of casino gambling. Least squares regression analysis will be also be employed in the study. It helps us to understand how to typical value of the dependent variable (crime) change when any of the independent variable (population changes, income levels) is varied. Qualitative Data Qualitative data is used to augment the quantitative data. Information that has been obtained from the interviews with community leaders, police officers, social service providers, chambers of commerce, businesspersons, and problem gamblers will be analyzed through qualitative data analysis. This is a process of moving the qualitative data that have been collected into some forms of interpretation and understanding of the interviewees, and situation we are investigating (N. Lewins, C.Taylor G.R.Gibbs 2005). The collected data will be presented in tabular format. For example, what the proportions of social workers feel that the casino has had a positive or negative impact on society? What the proportion of community leaders, chambers of commerce, businesspersons, and police officers feel that the introduction of casinos has had positive or negative effects on society? Is the proportion of police officers that feel casino gambling has increased crime significant different from the social workers who feel that the casino has increased crime? Time Scale Plan This research is planned to be completed in six months. First, I will study the relevant literature in order to deepen my understanding of the chosen research topic. I will also evaluate different research techniques and select the most suitable methodology for my research. The first month will end with completing a research proposal and a written literature review. In the second and third month, I will examine the public and the key people opinions on the casino gambling by conducting a survey and interviews. I will review the questionnaire and interviews questions to ensure all the questions are relevant to the objective of my study. If the survey response rate was not good, I will send out more invitations to ensure I reach my target number. All primary and secondary data will be collected within these two months. The forth month will be dedicated for data analysis. Once all data are collected, I will organize and interpret these raw data. I will spend the last two months to write my dissertation. The first draft of my dissertation will be finished in the fifth month. In the last month, I will do a final check and revision for my dissertation. The final dissertation will be completed at the time of submission.

Greek Tragedy Exemplified in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay -- Shakespeare

Greek Tragedy Exemplified in Shakespeare's Hamlet For several thousands of years, drama has existed among mankind. The ancient Greeks are accredited with the creation of drama, which began as simple religious rituals and eventually evolved into the more complex forms of tragedies and comedies. The first rules of drama, not surprisingly, were also written by a Greek--the famous philosopher and intellectual, Aristotle. Aristotle took note of the what qualities created a successful dramatic piece by observing a plethora of plays written by different Greek dramatists. As a result of what he observed, Aristotle compiled a set of guidelines to define the perfect tragedy. So influential, thorough, and well crafted were his writings that many poets and playwrights since have patterned their own works after them. Aristotle noted six basic requirements for a good tragedy--plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle, and song. The most important of all of these is obviously the plot. The plot needs to have a beginning, which doesn't necessarily follow any event; a middle, which follows the beginning and causes the ending; and of course the finale, which is caused by the middle and does not itself cause any other event. Common sense, therefore, dictates that all of the acts need to be skillfully woven into one another instead of each act abruptly starting and abruptly ending. The last need of a good plot is the incorporation of situation reversals and scenes of recognition. These are almost always the most powerful parts of any good plot, as they invoke emotional interest in the viewer. Character is the next most important aspect of the perfect tragedy after the plot. Every tragedy needs to contain a tragic hero. A complete vil... ...oetic form of all of Shakespeare's plays is always well crafted and problems with wording are nonexistent. Hamlet also contains some of the most famous soliloquies that Shakespeare ever wrote. Hamlet's "to be or not to be" speech is probably one of Shakespeare's best known speeches outside of Mark Antony's "friends, Romans, county men, lend me your ears" speech from Julius Caesar. Elements of song are also found in this play through the character Ophelia when she is in her maddened state. Hamlet is most definitely a shining example of an ideal tragedy. Its plot, characters, and wording are all masterfully crafted. It is well thought out and flows smoothly. William Shakespeare has truly embraced Aristotle's idea of the perfect tragedy through his own Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Global Shakespeare Theatre Series. 1996.

Two Models for Teaching Business Ethics Essay

Business management               The art of managing a business, means coordinating the various efforts of the staff with the aim of accomplishing goals and the set objectives with the aid of available resources effectively and efficiently. Business management generally comprise of organization, planning, leading, staffing, and controlling organization activities to achieve the prospected goal. Many organizations are viewed as systems. It therefore dictates that management is a human action, which includes designing, facilitating the production of important outcomes from the system. This then present a picture people being able to manage themselves is a prerequisite in trying to manage other people (Ananthan, Appannaiah, & Reddy, 2010).               Theoretically, business management includes manipulating of human capital in an enterprise to enhance the business success. An enterprise must therefore include humans, positive communication, and endeavors that are positive (Ananthan, Appannaiah, & Reddy, 2010). Other factors such as psychological motivational tools, plans, goals, measurements, and economic measures at times can or cannot be important components of business management. Critical business functions               In the current tumultuous business world economy, enterprises must adjust to fit.. It is necessary for the business to be aggressive in finding means of remaining competitive in the current economy of the world. One of the critical things to do is to restructure its functionality mode (Sen, 2008). Many times some of the enterprises that try this are faced with failure due to existence of stumbling blocks. Therefore, it is worth for the business to come up with well structured plan to go through these radical changes. The best way of doing this is by fully including their staff prior to and after making a decision that impacts change in the operation of the business (Ananthan, Appannaiah, & Reddy, 2010).               Companies that are willing to understand some of inextricable that might occur within the time of preparing the workers to welcome the new changes and the effective and efficient new initiatives implementation, then, are likely to notice that their efforts make an extra mile. Through careful planning and top leaders’ support will help the workforce to adjust to the changes- therefore the business will hence remain at its competitive edge (Sen, 2008). Individuals and systems integration for effectiveness in an organization             In the dynamic technological advancement, any business corporations need to be in line with the ever changing business operation systems. Aggressively, all the individuals are supposed to accept the role played by these systems. The most crucial system is that of passing information, all the workers are deemed to be aware with any new implementation at any particular point. Communication keeps the business running, internally; the workforce will be flexible if and only if, the information passed is clear. Externally; information coming will enhance the enterprise to be aware of the competition level of their competitors and then adjust appropriately. Effective integrations will subdue the full utilizations of the employee’s abilities (Sen, 2008) The ethical and social responsibilities bestowed on a business          In terms of ethical issues the business is faced with great challenge of remaining a loft with its initial target of servicing their prospected customers. Some of the ethical issues are quality service and quality productions. Any business that has been in the market for long and their service and goods have gained a brand, should not start lowering the quality and quantity of service and goods production. They also need to run their business in relation to the demand of the general public and the requirement the state (Kwarci, 2012).             Socially, businesses have the responsibility of playing a great partnership with the state and the general public at large. They need to be part and parcel of the major operations of the society in such a way that take part of society development. Environmental protection is also their great responsibility in ensuring its prosperity. In regard to the state, business need to be aware of the need to pay taxes in advance to avoid being in conflict with the state (Kwarci, 2012). The aspects of business management                The following will be some of the very crucial aspects that any business manager ought to be equipped with to facilitate the process of business management. Human resources, is one of the most crucial aspects of any business. It involves looking after the well being of your staff, it is the staff that determines your way as business. Another aspect is that of marketing, sales and promotion. Once the products and services have been produced, it is the responsibility of the sales marketing department. A well strategized plan from this department will see the business go up in the total sales (Ananthan, Appannaiah, & Reddy, 2010).               These aspects are very crucial because they really give out the clear picture of the business from within and outside business environment. In conclusion, they help the enterprise to furnish their business outlook before the eyes of the customer and very importantly to those of their competitors. References Ananthan, B. R., Appannaiah, H. R., & Reddy, P. N. (2010). Business management (Rev. Ed.) Mumbai [India: Himalaya Pub. House. KwarciÅ„ski, T. (2012). Ethics of Business or Ethics for Business? Two Models for Teaching Business Ethics. Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, 3(116), 42-49. Sen, M. (2008). Business management. Jaipur, India: Oxford Book Co Source document

Influence of South Africa Essay

It is reported that South Africa has become the third largest iron ore supplier for China through the competition with India, which will have a great influence on China’s mining machinery industry. According to Business Day Live’s report, the iron ore export to China from South Africa was 40.6 million tonnes in 2012, while Indian exports plunged nearly 55% to 33 million tonnes. It is evidently that South Africa managed to increase of its share of iron ore sales to China in the unstable economical situation. The large amount of iron ore’s import into China will inevitably have a great influence on the mining machinery industry no matter in China or in South Africa. DSMAC president Lu Hongbo, commended : â€Å"The increasing contact between China and South Africa is a great power for the two countries’ mining industry development. It is a win-win situation no matter for China or for South Africa.† Analysis of South Africa’s Exporting Iron ore to China On the one hand, it promotes Chinese mining industry’s prosperity. In 2012, due to the world economy slagging, the mining industry encounters the â€Å"cold winter† universally, no exception of China mining industry. However, the increasing importing of iron ore from South Africa is a stimulate in China mining machinery market. Because the preliminary step for iron ore’s utilization is crushing process, in which the crusher plays an important role. On the other hand, it is also a push for Chinese mining machinery’s export into South Africa. For example, DSMAC, a leading China feeding, crushing and screening equipment manufacturer and supplier has opened up Africa market and determined to extend in that area. Until now, DSMAC has the general contracting ability of 1000 to 30000 tpd sand and aggregate production line, including the project design, equipment configuration and installation experience. Early in 2010, DSMAC successfully undertook a large project of 10000 tpd artificial sand making line, which just needed three months and brought profit for customer within half an year. Besides South Africa, Australia remains far and away the biggest exporter of iron ore to China. Analysts believe 2013 will see Australia and South Africa further increase their share of the global iron ore market. It is obvious that this situation will propel the mining industry’s advancement.

A Book Review Of Jesus And The Gospels Religion Essay Example

A Book Review Of Jesus And The Gospels Religion Essay Example A Book Review Of Jesus And The Gospels Religion Essay A Book Review Of Jesus And The Gospels Religion Essay The writer Craig Blomberg is a good known evangelical bookman, a distinguished Professor of the New Testament at Denver Seminary. He holds his doctorate grade from Aberdeen University in Scotland. He is besides the writer of over 12 books. Some of his books are Historical Reliability of the Gospels, Interpreting the fables and so on. Craig Bloomberg chief intent of the book is to assist bookmans and curates to intensify their scriptural roots on the Gospels, most particularly theological pupils who need to be taught of how to believe theologically and to be able to analyze the existent jobs of life from scriptural positions. Book content Harmonizing to the writer, the cardinal narrative about the Gospels is on the birth, life, decease and Resurrection of Jesus. In order to understand Christianity as a faith, one needs to cognize the historical background narrative around it. And the narrative is all about Jesus life, birth, decease and Resurrection put together by four different writers in the New Testament. The writer did an intensive work by giving the narrative background to events that occurred before the New Testament. The period between the last one-fourth of the eighth century BC to the first century AD is the inter testametal period about 400yrs. He gives an overview on the status of the clip, covering the political, spiritual and socio economical province of the Judaic state and its environ. The writer s primary beginning of mention to political development in Israel was the 20 volume work of Josephus s Judaic antiquities on the history of the Judaic people and other aggregations from Apocrypha and Pseudepig rapha. The writer relates how exile of the people of Israel to Babylon affects the worship in Israel. How it leads to the rise of the temple, the beginning of the unwritten jurisprudence, the spiritual group sects ; the Pharisees, Sadducees, Essences and the Zealots. In the 2nd portion of the book, the writer explains the tools that are used by bookmans to assist in understanding how the four Gospels came to be. He used historical unfavorable judgment to clear up historical background and actual unfavorable judgments excessively compare and associate the differences between the three synoptic Gospels known as the synoptic jobs and the 4th Gospel. In the 3rd portion of the book, the writer discussed the influence of the Grecian linguistic communication all over the Roman Empire for concern, commercialism and relation with military and political governments. After suppressing Greece, Rome adopted most of the Grecian Gods by giving the Gods Latin names. Emperors from Augustus to Nero encourages traditional myths by edifice temples for them and as a consequence of this, there was rise in philosophical thought such as the stolidity, Platonism, dualism, Gnosticism, cynicism and agnosticism. But to the Jews, Judaism was the faith and order of the twenty -four hours and to stay a member of a community, a Judaic adult male must maintain the dietetic Torahs, detecting the Sabbath and Circumcision. The writer explains the factor that affects scriptural dating in the New Testament. He pointed to the Judaic and Roman calendar which started at different times of the twelvemonth doing fluctuation of a twelvemonth in one way or another for many day of the months. Judaic imposts of numbering a twenty-four hours from sundown to sundown and new Moon visual aspects which is capable to weather status, in taking a day of the month. He claims that the division of calendar into BC and AD is Christian innovation doing the day of the months of Jesus birth, the length of his ministry, day of the month and clip of his decease and Resurrection to be unsure. The last three parts of the book by the writer Introduced the four Gospels, gives a study of Jesus birth, explains the span of His ministry, from Galilee as presented by the writer of Matthew, Mark and Luke, His Judean ministry put together by John the beloved in his Gospel. He said the Gospel of John was about Jesus private ministry while the three other Gospel was about Jesus public ministry. He gave a brief historical background behind each of the writers of the Gospel, fortunes that warrant their credence into the canon of Bible and prevalent conditions responsible for each. Matthew was written for Judaic trusters showing Jesus as Messiah, Mark was written to the Romans showing Jesus as retainer of God. Luke was written by a non Judaic writer, a heathen convert called Luke who wrote to the Greek ( LK 1:3, Act 1:1 ) , and nowadayss Jesus as human and authored the book of Acts. The book of John was written last, harmonizing to the writer it was written to all trusters, showing Jesu s as the Son of God. The concluding histories of Jesus life harmonizing to the writer starts on Thursday dark cumulative to His strong belief, decease, and Resurrection. Harmonizing to the writer, it is hard to build or give a graphic history of all the events that took topographic point in the life of Jesus Christ in full inside informations. Evaluation This book is one of the series of book written by Craig Blomberg. The writer, and from his wealth of experience, offers insight into the life of Jesus Christ by giving the historical background around the scriptural events in the New Testament. The writer s deepness in the survey of the Gospels was due to his experience as a lector in theological school. The book was good structured and suited for academic survey, arranged in a manner that makes interesting, consecutive and explanatory doing it easy to read for everybody. The writer s manner of authorship was progressive. He starts is narrative by utilizing historical illustration as a tool to discourse the contents presented by each of the gospel author. The writer s usage of other stuffs for the book is applaudable, utilizing it with his ain account to clear century s incorrect reading of the four Gospels of the New Testament. Decision The book answered a batch of inquiry on trusters mind as touching Jesus, who is the cardinal subject of Christianity. It besides clears uncertainty on differences and attack usage by each of the gospel author. I strongly recommend the book for theological pupil and every instructor of the Gospel.

Criminal Law in U.S. Society

Criminal Law in U.S. Society Part 1There are many purposes and objectives of criminal law in modern U.S. society. The conflict perspective of criminal law envisions two groups in society: the dominant class and those they dominate. Defining and enforcing crime becomes a means of reproducing the power and socioeconomic inequalities between these groups, as the dominant interests conflict with their subordinates. The group dominating society use their power to formulate laws, to apply these laws to less powerful groups, and to rationalize their behavior as legitimate. Some, like Emile Durkeim, believe crime contributes to fair and orderly functioning within our complex society. This consensus perspective portrays criminal law as a product of social needs and values that operates in the interest of society at large where rules and laws are viewed as serving the needs of a majority of society. In Henry Cheeseman's "Contemporary Business and E-commerce Law" book there are about eight main purposes of the law: keeping the peace, shaping moral standards, promoting social justice, maintaining the status quo, facilitating orderly change, facilitating planning, providing a basis for compromise, and maximizing individual freedom."The Old Bailey, Known Also as the Central Crimina...Whatever one believes is the function of crime, it is widely accepted that law is designed to control behavior, whether it is criminal or civil law.According to lawinfo.com a crime is "an act or omission which is prohibited by criminal law. Each state sets out a limited series of acts (crimes) which are prohibited and punishes the commission of these acts by a fine, imprisonment or some other form of punishment. In exceptional cases, an omission to act can constitute a crime, such as failing to give assistance to a person in peril or failing to report a case of child abuse." Many problems arise when using this legalistic definition. Crime is only relative to when it...

A Third Leg In The Strategy Tripod Commerce Essay

A Third Leg In The Strategy Tripod Commerce Essay In recent times strategy has become a major and significant part of international businesses (IB). A strategy is there to help the organisation to achieve its objectives and goals. There are various factors in the industry that multinationals can take to make investment decisions, nevertheless in the international business environment, it has been dominated by both industry and resource base views. A resource base view lies within the company and not on the outside, it also tells us how the company or organisation will deliver a sustainable competitive advantage and how these resources will be controlled and managed in a way that its end results can’t be copied by its competitors and would create a competitive barrier and generate a competitive advantage at a sustainable level Porter 1980).An industry base view is based on a clear understanding of the organisation’s competitive and economic structure, the challenge here is to position the company in a way that it could gain a bigger portion of the profits in the market that the company is operating in and even with new entrants coming into the market place , the organisation should turn its core competencies in an advantage. According to the journal the authors (M.W.Peng, D.Y.L. Wang and Y. Jiang) state that the view of international business strategy emerged through and institution base. They also state that this one of the legs that support and uphold the tripod strategy, and the other two part of the tripod strategy is based on a resource base view and an industry base view. In the journal the authors did a review of four distinct characteristic s or qualities of important research , these four characteristics are :(1)antidumping as entry barriers;(2)competing in and out of India;(3)growing the firm in China and the fourth being governing the corporation in emerging economies. According to the authors they state that there were questions confronting the international business raised by (Peng 2 004a), where he identified emerging nations in Asia to indicate a realistic and intermediate phase during the early and late stages of institution transitions. In the article the authors’ stats two arguments that is based on network strengths and network content. To determine strategy and performance the authors cite (Porters 1980) competitive strategy, which a frame works for industry analysis (Porters Five Force analysis). A third leg in the strategy tripod In the third leg of the strategy tripod the authors state that the industry-base view is rooted in a way the MNE’s strategy is based on certain conditions within the nature of the industry that the company has a focus on. They (authors) also state that with a resource – based view IB concentrate more internally that externally, as most of the value lies within the organisation. With both industry and resource-based views, it still brings up questions to investment locations. In the tripod strategy the autho rs cite (Scot 1995:33) where he define institutions as concrete structures , e.g. buildings and as human capital , including political and social aspects which they state , e.g.corruption,economic liberations and ethical norms , these are a few examples from the article that also affect the stability of markets that MNE’s operate in. Research by (Lawrence & Lorsch , 1969) clearly shows that the dominate part of research is a â€Å"task environment† view , where economic variables were looked at and what the market demand are and a change in technology.(Peng 2008) states that shaping strategies and performance have an impact on both formal and informal institutions.

Fukuyama's End of History and the Muslim World Research Paper

Fukuyama's End of History and the Muslim World - Research Paper Example The modern materialistic living style of the western world will influence the third world countries like a giant storm giving them no chance to think about an alternate, peaceful living style. Everybody will wear western clothing, eat their food and follow their lifestyle. Two decades after the book had been written we can now see most of his views have come true. There is a long queue covering three streets in China to buy the new iPhone which will be released in the US the day after. People in Korea alter their children’s tongue at a young age, so that they can speak better English and the most closed markets like India extend a red carpet welcome to Foreign Direct Investment, which comes from west, not from any developing country like Thailand or Indonesia. By far, the one and only people trying to resist these changes are the Islamists. They shoot the girl who wants to learn to read, write and barricade themselves from all scientific advantages in the name of religion. Who is right Fukuyama or the Islamists? In course of time, History will prove both wrong (Lal, 2006). Fukuyama’s theory states that capitalism which started to triumph at the death of communism, in the end of cold war will establish a ‘universal consumer culture’2 which will sweep down the ethical entities ingrained deeply in every individual. This is exactly what we see today. Education is no more a way to hone a skill. It is marks earned to secure a job with high earnings which in turn helps in buying ample things feeding the consumerism. So is it really the end of all indigenous ideologies which had been passed on from one generation to another. Not exactly because every ideology will keep evolving to some other form and liberal democracy is no exception (Marks, n.d.). Liberal democracy which simply evolved from communism based democracy eliminating its flaws and frays, will evolve into something better in the near future. Liberalism and Democracy themselves do n ot go hand in hand. There are several third world countries which struggle to use liberalism to their economic benefit. As Karl Marx stated, they will realize sooner or later, capitalism will lead to overproduction, low cost, scanty wages and unemployment doing more harm than good in the long run.3 They will start looking for alternate ideologies automatically leading to a better form of government and economic management. History proved aristocracy and communism cannot succeed. Likewise it will prove liberal democracy will also dwindle in some point of time in this 21st century (Marx & Engels, 1848). Do Islamists Have the Answer? Is Islamic idealism the core answer for an alternate ideology opposing liberal democracy? The answer is most certainly no because, evolution should lead to something which is better than the previous methods. But, Islamic ideologies force people to go back to the primitive living condition. Of course too much of sweet is bad for health. The available medic ine might have lots of side effects. But, a new alternate medicine or an ancient medicine which will cure the disease should be invented or revived, instead of banning the usage of sweets completely from life. Do the Islamists agree with it? Mainstream Islamic people do agree with it hundred percent. Karshidshak who worked in Iraq with the Muslim soldiers admits they are like any modern American youngsters longing for the latest model mobile and waiting to

Management of Information Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Management of Information Business - Essay Example Introduction Global business environment is becoming highly competitive as several leading organizations are trying to expand their business operations and business practices on several emerging and developed economies. It is important for the organizations to develop and implement unique business operation strategies in business process in order to achieve significantly competitive advantages. Leading multinational organizations are trying to expand their business process in global market place in order to capitalize on the potential advantages that have been developed due to globalization. Market demand for differentiated and diverged products and services is significantly growing among the global consumers due to globalization and several significant changes in external environmental factors. The report will try to recommend an international business expansion plan for Tata Motors in France automobile market. France is the member of European Union. On the other hand, Tata Motors i s the leading automobile manufacturers in India. The organization is planning to enter in the potential French Automobile market in order to increase market share and develop potential global client base. The report will conduct company, industry, country and regional organization’s (EU) analysis in order to recommend Tata Motors an effective market entry strategy. Porter’s five force analysis has been conducted in order to determine the competition within the industry. PESTLE analysis has been adopted in this study in order to determine the external environmental impact on Tata Motors in France. At last the report will provide conclusion by summing up several key points. MNE Analysis (Tata Motors) Tata Motors Limited is an India based Multinational... This paper stresses that Tata Motors is one of the profitable India based multinational organization trying to expand business performance in France. It is clear from above discussion that French automobile industry is highly competitive as several leading organizations are operating within the industry to grab each other’s market share and client base. In addition to this, economic downturn and change in social demand is motivating the automobile manufacturers to implement unique customer centric approaches in business operation. This report makes a conclusion that France is one of the important members of European Union. The nations within this European Union try to develop significant business and industrial strategies to improve the condition of business environment. European Union tries to focus on infrastructure development in order to motivate leading multinational organizations to enter in the market. Looking into these social advantages, Tata Motors is trying to enter in the developed French market to maximize market share and profit margin. It is difficult for an organization to enter in an international market and start making profit initially due to several external environmental barriers. Therefore, it would be effective for Tata Motors if they choose joint venture as the market entry mode. It will help the MNE to get effective financial and HRM support from the co-venture initially. Significant access to supply chain of co-venture can help Tata Motors to reduce business operation cost and time. M ost importantly it will help the organization to meet market demand.

Sociology of the body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Sociology of the body - Essay Example This study is being undertaken in order to establish a well supported notion or social construct in the sociology of the body. Discussion Different members of society often fashion or build their bodies based on accepted societal views of masculinity and femininity. In so doing, they often try to shape and use their bodies to fit their gender and cultural expectations. This practice seems to emphasize not so much on the distinctiveness of our bodies, but more on what society dictates as acceptable forms or shapes (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 227). Our genes partially determine our biological make-up and other environmental factors complete our physiology. Outside such biological constructs, cultural and social factors and attitudes attached to gender-based practices are also a crucial part of our overall make-up. Such practices create bodies which some social groups classify as masculine or feminine. In effect, the longing for better looking bodies have manifested in trends which len d greater support to cosmetic surgery, growth hormones, anabolic steroids, bodybuilding, and other fitness regimens for both men and women (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 227). Many advertisements for plastic surgeries also target men and women in their vulnerabilities. Men with gynecomastia or enlarged breasts, and women with small breasts have been exposed to ads which declare solutions to their issues – for men wanting to be rid of their gynecomastia and for women wanting bigger and perkier breasts (Lorber, 1994, p. 3). Women have also been exposed to the societal notion or expectation that having perky, large, and firm breasts, as well as slim bodies is the accepted shape to be in. In effect, many women wanting to fit the accepted societal demands have given in to breast lifts/reductions/augmentations and to puffier lips, toned abdomens, and shapely buttocks (Grogan, 2008, p. 52). Advertisements for plastic surgeries have capitalized on the portrayal of ideal images of beaut y – young, fresh, thin, and shapely forms. Millions of Americans have heeded these demands with about 6.9 million of them giving into the cosmetic surgery in 2002 alone; 88% of these are actually women (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 278). Most of these surgeries have included liposuction, eyelid surgery, nose reshaping, breast augmentation, breast reduction, as well as hair transplants and ear reshaping for men. In terms of age, most of those seeking plastic surgery fall in the 34-50 year age group and most of these surgeries have been carried out among the whites, with few having been performed on minority groups (Lorber and Martin, 2007, p. 8). Due to its high cost, these surgeries have mostly been carried out in the affluent population, however, considering the general population’s obsession with losing weight through exercise machines and diet pills, it is a trend which still covers many people regardless of financial capability or ethnic affinities. Bodies are socia lly constructed because they are tools used by many people in order to gain some form of progress or advancement in their life (Davids, Evans, and Lorber, 2006, p. 55). Even if the business and employment world may capitalize on one’s skills, talents, knowledge, and educational background to determine employment, still, it cannot be denied that one’s looks affect a person’s success and employment status. One classic example is the fact that there has

Computer Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Computer Security - Essay Example In this element bidders can use the early stages to their advantage, since the prices then are low, to decide amongst themselves who should win which objects and then agree to stop pushing up prices. To overcome this weakness there is a need for a stronger auction design. Ozment addresses this issue of collusion, pointed out by Klemperer, by categorizing them into two major areas of concern in the vulnerability market. The first being employee-tester collusion, which comprises of the possibility that a competitor to pay an engineer to insert a backdoor into the program and hence increase its vulnerability. The second being tester-tester collusion, in which testers could agree not to submit reports until the price works in their favor. Having acknowledged these problems Ozment also proposes certain solutions to mould auction design to minimize the occurrence of collusion. By not making public the number of testers a limit can be imposed on their ability to collude and control the auct ion. It can further prevent colluding groups to form and then identify and punish a opposing member through retaliatory bidding. Also by having testers register in advance with a third party the auction provides incentives, in shape of reduced registration charges, for individuals who are actively planning to test the product and claim the reward. This reducing chances of employee-tester collusion. ... The issue of entry deterrence eventually leads to, the third main issue, predatory behavior as some bidder’s receive a modest advantage over the others. Ozment proposes the incorporation of an initial value of the reward in the auction to be of a high level to combat this issue. This creates an incentive to kick start the first few auctions in the series by bringing in a large number of testers. Furthermore it lowers the entry costs for participants in future actions in the sequence. Another solution proposed is by incorporating a reputation reward along with the monetary reward will increase participation of the bidders as well as effectively discourage predatory behavior. Some other factors such as reserve prices, political problems, loopholes, credibility of rules and market structure are also mentioned by Klemperer. However Ozment proposes structural suggestions to strengthen auction design by inserting stronger elements of cultural, legal and managerial tools during the s equence of the auction. Looking at all the above mentioned details it is effective to conclude that it is possible to design an auction as mentioned by Ozment while keeping in mind the factors mentioned by Klemperer. Despite undertaking a development of an auction design keeping in mind the strong enhancements suggested to strengthen it by Ozment, there are still a lot of perverse incentives that might be created. If we look at the fact that the key barriers to auction design are collusion, entry deterrence and a general buyer market power it can lead to the conclusion that design may not matter very much when the entry for a big number of potential bidders is made easy. This can be viewed by looking at the example of government security sales in which

Ways in Which the UK Football Industry Has Embraced the Principles of Essay

Ways in Which the UK Football Industry Has Embraced the Principles of the CSR Movement - Essay Example The paper tells that although football is the most popular sport in the world, it needs to embrace corporate social responsibility in its activities. In the UK, the football industry is growing day by day. Thus, it must come up with measures to contribute to the well-being of the general society. In sports management, corporate social responsibility is a new concept. As a result, the national federations and football clubs have a responsibility to ensure that they give back to the society. The managers must ensure that they come up with new programs which target the general public in running their activities. They must ensure that they influence the world around positively. Ideally, corporate social responsibility is the continued behavior of businesses of behaving ethically and ensuring that they contribute to the economic development of the society. In the past, football was mainly viewed as a hobby. However, in the recent past, football has created a global industry of its own. Gl obalization has led to the development of football as a sport and at the same time as an income generation industry. Thus, there has been a need to ensure that the football clubs come up with ways of ensuring that they are ethically responsible. Consequently, most of the football corporations have become a corporation. Thus, most of them have recognized that they must show their responsibility to the members of the society. Due to that, most of the football clubs in the United Kingdom have come up with a community relations department which deals with CSR. The football federations have moved from their passive philanthropic role and have become a responsible and committed sector in the affairs of the society.

MGT599 - Strategic Management, Mod 4 Case Assignment Essay

MGT599 - Strategic Management, Mod 4 Case Assignment - Essay Example It should adopt such strategies which will help it in developing the business in accordance with the prevailing market conditions. The strategies will aid the company to retain more customers as well as provide improved quality services. Introduction Southwest Airlines is identified to be a carrier company in the United States of America which is known for its cheap fares. Headquarter of the airline company is learnt to be located in Dallas, Texas. It operates over 3,300 flights each day as well as engages over 37,000 employees in the company. It provides its services in almost 37 states. The company is famous for its cheap fares as well as quality services provided to the customers (Southwest Airlines, 2012). The company follows the strategy of offering efficient services to the customers at a cheap rate. It operates with a cost leadership strategy which enables the company to offer better services to its customers. Thesis Statement The purpose of this paper is to bring out the stra tegy adopted by the company for enhancing its profits as well as services. It will also help in comprehending the strategic choices that will further develop the performance of the company. Main Body The airline company practices the strategy of cost leadership which signifies that it provides quality carrier services at an economical rate. It aids the company in competing with its contenders in terms of low prices as well as the degree of quality of the provided services. The low or affordable fares facilitate the company to attain a competitive edge and maintain a dominant position in the industry in comparison to its competitors. This strategy also assists the company in earning more profits (BCIT School of Business faculty, n.d.). A SWOT analysis will be conducted to gain a comprehension regarding the effectiveness of cost leadership strategy with regard to the company. The SWOT analysis will aid in understanding the core competency of the strategy which has been primarily adopt ed for raising the degree of performance of the concerned company as well as for increasing its profits. Strengths: The airline company provides quality services at an affordable price which helps it to improve the performance as well as profits. This particular strategy makes it possible for the company to attain competitive advantage against its competitors. It is supposed to be quite a popular airline carrier in the relevant industry (Shahzad Trading & Consulting FZE, n.d.). Weaknesses: The company offers its services at reasonable prices which restrict it from developing innovative ideas with regard to improving its performance. In order to maintain low cost benefits, the company would require making investments on a continuous basis (Shahzad Trading & Consulting FZE, n.d.). Opportunities: Cost leadership acts as a vital opportunity for the company as it helps in earning increased profits and offer quality services. This strategy has aided the company in retaining increased cust omers as well as ensuring business growth (Shahzad Trading & Consulting FZE, n.d.). Threats: The cost leadership strategy adopted by the company may pose a threat by reducing the competitiveness of the company in comparison to the brand loyalty and recognition of its competitors. The company is also likely to face greater degree of threats from other airline companies which are also known

Ways in Which the UK Football Industry Has Embraced the Principles of Essay

Ways in Which the UK Football Industry Has Embraced the Principles of the CSR Movement - Essay Example The paper tells that although football is the most popular sport in the world, it needs to embrace corporate social responsibility in its activities. In the UK, the football industry is growing day by day. Thus, it must come up with measures to contribute to the well-being of the general society. In sports management, corporate social responsibility is a new concept. As a result, the national federations and football clubs have a responsibility to ensure that they give back to the society. The managers must ensure that they come up with new programs which target the general public in running their activities. They must ensure that they influence the world around positively. Ideally, corporate social responsibility is the continued behavior of businesses of behaving ethically and ensuring that they contribute to the economic development of the society. In the past, football was mainly viewed as a hobby. However, in the recent past, football has created a global industry of its own. Gl obalization has led to the development of football as a sport and at the same time as an income generation industry. Thus, there has been a need to ensure that the football clubs come up with ways of ensuring that they are ethically responsible. Consequently, most of the football corporations have become a corporation. Thus, most of them have recognized that they must show their responsibility to the members of the society. Due to that, most of the football clubs in the United Kingdom have come up with a community relations department which deals with CSR. The football federations have moved from their passive philanthropic role and have become a responsible and committed sector in the affairs of the society.

Learning Team Collaboration Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Learning Team Collaboration Worksheet Essay 1. What are the advantages of having diversity in a collaborative learning environment? The point of any collaboration is to bring together different ideas for one solution. By exchanging opinions, everyone can decide what works best for the group. When too many like minded people come together, they dole out the same product. If a group contains all organizers or thinkers, they might have a 10 page paper of all conflicting ideas because they couldn’t agree on one topic. History’s bloodiest events usually started with one group of likeminded people pushing their ideas onto the rest of the world. 2. How might factors such as learning and work styles affect your team’s collaboration? Having a diverse set of people in a group can only improve it. Thinkers can look at a topic from all sides, which can help a team anticipate arguments and have an answer ready. Givers can be the voice of reason, helping the group stay on task when an organizer or thinker is stuck on a non consequential detail. Adventurers think outside the box, they may come up with the topic itself or can be counted on to liven up a stale presentation. Organizers are decisive; choosing what information stays, what gets tossed, where it fits, and how to best unify a paper. Like Henry Ford’s assembly line, each person has a role that has to be met for the product to be finished. 3. How can critical thinking improve your team’s collaboration? Being in a team can generate original and creative ideas, making for an interesting project. Critical thinking is the research and facts to uphold those ideas. This involves finding credible sources with valid facts. This question is kicking my butt! I’ll get it eventually. 4. What are methods for improving team writing? Prewriting is the longest step in the writing process, involving the overall topic of a project and all the research. This is where a team can contribute ideas and opinions, and a rough draft is formed. After this process is finished, the actual writing should be simple. The second draft could be written by one person to ensure that it stays in one voice throughout the paper. Then the team can review the draft and make changes as needed.

The Development Of Multisensory Integration In Humans Psychology Essay

The Development Of Multisensory Integration In Humans Psychology Essay Understanding how multisensory integration develops in children and how it assists them to understand the ambiguous information in the environment is now a question at the forefront of Science. This study set out to examine and compare three different age groups of children 4-5 years old attending Reception, 6-7 years old attending Year 2 and 8-9 years old attending Year 4 in a local Primary School, to see if they benefit from multisensory information (e.g. integration of sound and vision) to disambiguate ambiguous figures that has more than one representation provided in an experiment. The results revealed that children in Year 4, 8-9 years old, showed an advantage in reaction time in congruent trials (where sound is assisting the participants to see the ambiguous figures facing the direction of the target, incongruent trials (where ambiguous figures were presented with a simultaneous acoustic cue and the auditory cue is incongruent to the subsequent target presented), and finally n eutral trials (where sensory auditory cue was not related to ambiguous figures at all). The results of this study showed that childrens increasing age is having an important and positive impact in processing multisensory information by enabling and enhancing childrens ability to understand and to recognise ambiguous figures more effectively. Key words: Multisensory integration, Ambiguous figures, Visual attention. Introduction: The development of multisensory integration in human beings: Humans and animals are hardwired with a sophisticated and unique multisensory system which enhances their understanding of the environment that they live in (Stein et al., 1996; Gillmeister Eimer, 2007) and allows the integration of information between various senses. These different senses are touch, sound, vision, smell, taste and self motion. These extraordinary senses not only exclusively provide us information about our surroundings (e.g. assists us in hearing, seeing etc), but also complex understanding that cannot always be understood through just a single modality but requires multimodal integration. Multisensory or multimodal integration refers to the idea that multiple senses interact with each other to help provide us a coherent representation of various objects, events or situations to promote better understanding of our perceptual environment. We tend to recognise an object or an event better when it is represented through more than one modality (Gondal et al; 2005; Mol holm, Ritter, Murray, Javitt, Schroeder Foxe 2002). Scientists and Psychologists have been studying how multiple senses integrate to support us to make sense of complexity of our environment for centuries. In the early years these senses were studied independently (e.g. Berkeley 1709; Locke 1690). In 1980s scientists began to study the in depth processes involved within and how these senses interact together at the level of the single neuron. The recent research has been improved immensely which has contributed productively in order for us to understand the processes involved in multisensory integration (e.g. Campbell 1987; Stein Meredith 1994; Naumer Kaisar 2010). New and improved methods like functional imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation etc has enabled us to better grasp the under lying processes involved in multisensory integration in the human brain. Psychologists and Researchers are at a stage where newly developed methodologies are being applied to different questi ons in development of multisensory integration at a neural level (Wallace, Meredith Stein 1998). There have been empirical studies in the past showing how multisensory stimuli benefit adults, but there is a gap in research with regards to when and how it develops in children. To date there has not been any research, which has explored the role of multisensory information in recognizing ambiguous figures in children. As human adults our multisensory system integrates various signals from our senses to unify functional representations. Electrophysiological, behavioural and neuroimaging studies has made it evident that different senses through our nervous system that are related to a same situation or event and are congruent in time and space increase the possibility of accurate and effective encoding a lot more than individual senses. Ernst and Banks (2002) Alias and Burr (2004) have suggested that human adults integrate excessive information in a statistically optimal manner. A fundamental question that stands is whether the optimal multimodal integration is present in children at the time of birth or does it develop during their childhood and when do children start to use multimodal integration to understand their ambiguous environment? It is fundamental to learn if early multisensory development could benefit the developing brain. The human sensory system is immature at birth, but refines as it develops essentially. Paus (2005) pointed out that brain mapping between sensory and motor conformity is updated frequently and that it is a continuous process where neural reorganisation and cognitive changes occur up until early adolescence. (Neil et. al; 2006; Barutchu, Danaher et. al 2009) pointed out that if adults benefit from the multisensory inputs; naturally children are expected to have an advantage of multisensory inputs via their nervous system as well. Numerous behavioural studies reported that human infants can identify relationships between various multisensory inputs (Bahrick and Lickliter 2000, 2004; Bahrick et al. 2002; Lewkowicz 1988a, 1996; Neil et al. 2006). Research has shown that in very early development multisensory binding is formed (Kohl and Meltzoff 1982). During the phase of gestation between 6-7 months, touching its lips results in foetal Humphrey (1964). Streri Gentaz, (2004) suggested th at even though infants are able to transfer the multisensory information across the senses at birth the advantage of multisensory integration is not observed generally until after birth (Gogate and Bahrick, 1998, Hollich et al., 2005, Bahrick et al., 2002, Walker Andrews, 1997). At the age of 8 months an infant shows multisensory facilitation of reflexive head and eye movements during spatial localization and this theory is consistent with the co-activation models Lewkowicz Shimojo, (2006). Patterson and Werker (2003) performed a preferential looking paradigm study on 2 month old infants and observed that infants were able to match voices with faces showing that infants are integrating some multisensory information. Lewkowicz (1992) studied development of multisensory information in infants 4, 6, 8 and 10 months of age, he presented the participants audio visual stimulus, (e.g. a bouncing object on the monitor) the results revealed that infants were sensitive to the temporal associ ations amongst the visual and auditory stimuli. Processes that involve multisensory facilitation tend to develop with postnatal experiences in humans and other species (Jamie Lickliter, 2006; Lickliter et al., 2006, Wallace Stein, 1997, Wallace Stein, 2001). On the contrary studies using the McGurk effect has shown that speech perception is not influenced by our vision as much in infants or young primary school age children as in adults (Massaro, 1984, McGurk MacDonald, 1976). The leading question is when do children start combining multisensory information to understand their complex environment? Two classical theories shed light in this area, The developmental integration view, which states that in newborns the ability to perceive multisensory coherence develops gradually through childs exploration experiences of the world (Piaget 1952). The second theory is the Developmental differentiation view which states that at the time of birth some of the multisensory perceptual abilities are present in infants but the other more com plex abilities emerge later in life through perceptual learning Gibson (1969, 1984). Recent research has showed us evidence that neural and behavioural limitations and the relative experience play a central role in the typical development of multisensory processing (Walker 1997). Another complexity in humans is that different senses are developed at different rates. For example, senses like touch, vestibular chemical and auditory senses begin to function before birth and finally vision develops (Gottlieb 1971). The differential rates in developmental period could worsen the challenges for adjustment and cross modal integration for example eye length, intraocular distances, growing limbs etc in humans. In contrast, some perceptual skills do not develop early in life (e.g. auditory frequency discrimination), Olsho (1984); Olsho et al; (1988). Brown et al (1987) suggested that projective size and shape are not understood until children are about 7 years of age, and research has shown that contrast sensitivity and visual acuity carries on developing until the age of 5-6 years of age. (Rentschler, et al 2004) suggested that the understanding of object manipulation also carries on developing until the age of 8-14 years. (Morrongiello et al 1994) suggested that tact ile object recognition in sighted and blind children does not develop until the age 5-6 years. Various other complicated capacities that are dependent on experiences e.g. (Elliot 1979; Johnson 2000) facilitation of speech perception in noise is immature throughout their childhood. The developmental time frame when audio visual integration is developed in children is still unclear. Hearing and vision are two of the most important multisensory modalities that humans constitute. Audio visual integration plays a vital role in many tasks e.g. understanding of speech in noisy environments or orientation towards a novel stimulus. Development of auditory system begins before vision but is not certain when these two senses begin to integrate in humans. When presented with auditory and visual stimuli, it can be perceived as a same unitary event or as two separate unimodel events. Radeau Bertelson (1977). The binding and segregation of unimodal stimuli is dependent on low level structural factors (e.g. the temporal and spatial co-occurrence of the stimulus), as well as more cognitive factors (e.g. If the stimuli are semantically congruent or not and whether the person observing is assuming that the two stimuli should go together). Numerous recent studies have shown evid ence that auditory stimuli can be mislocalized towards visual stimuli when they are presented at the same time Welch Warren 1980, P. Bertelson Gelder (2004). It has been argued in the past that when two or more sensory inputs are presented and that they are highly consistent the observers tend to treat them as a single audio visual event (Welch Warren, 1980, Jackson, 1953) therefore it is more likely to assume that they share a common spatiotemporal origin and consequently there are more chances of them to bind them in to a single multisensory event. The binding of a specific pair of visual and auditory stimuli is dependent on various different factors. Spatiotemporal coincidence plays a vital role in different forms of audio visual integration (Slutsky Recanzone 2001, Zampini, Guest, and Shore Spence 2005) but research has also shown that there are exceptions Vroomen Keetels (2006). Neil et al, (2006) examined reflexive orienting in infants, 8-10 months old. The infants showed reaction time advantage for single visual auditory cues over combined cues. On the contrary, Barutchu et al, (2009) performed a study with young children by testing them in a manual button pressing task, and revealed that most children are unable to show the same multisensory advantages until the age of 7 years old. It was proposed that the differences showed in development of audio visual integration reveals the possibility of differential development of reflexive orienting, which depends on the superior colliculus and sensory decision making, is dependent on cortical integration of sensory evidence. Barutchu et al (2009) performed a similar study in order to examine the development of multisensory orienting and button pressing for the same audio visual stimuli where eye movements were recorded of children aged 4-13 years old, N = 19 in response to auditory beeps, visual flashes showed at 20Â ° eccentricity. It was observed from the results that the total mean AV saccadic latencies were significantly shorter than either Audio or Video and the results revealed a trend towards shorter Audio visual latencies than those hypothesised by statistical support or facilitation Miller (1982). Results of this experiment showed that children aged 4 years old when examined in a saccadic orienting task are capable of showing reaction time advantage consistent with cue integration and that this ability is dependent on the early development of sub cortical multisensory processing Wallace Stein (1997). Research on children in their later childhood around 6 years and older showed the influence of multisensory information on speech precepts, balance and size judgements Gori et. al (2008). In the brain multisensory integration occurs across various different levels which involves sub cortical areas like the superior colliculus, early cortical areas like the primary auditory and visual cortices and higher cortical areas like the superior temporal sulcus and intraparietal areas. For example freezing effect Vroomen de Gelder (2000) or pip and pop effect Van der Burg et al (2008) in which auditory temporal information is needed to form illusory visual onsets tend to occur in the primary visual areas while illusions for example Mc Gurk effect, McGurk Mac Donald (1976) takes place at a higher cortical areas due to the complexity of information. The areas involved in brain that facilitates audio visual integration in humans can be seen in figure no 1. C:UsersLocstaPictures1-s2_0-S0001691810000715-gr2.jpg Figure number 1: Showing brain areas involved in audiovisual attention Studying the sensory system and multimodal integration development matters to humans as it plays a very important role in cognitive processes. Numerous anecdotal reports from clinicians and parents have stated that significant percentage of sensory impairment, atypical ties are found in children and adults suffering from autism spectrum disorder (Cesaroni Graber, 1991; Grandin 1992; ONeill Jones 1997). In 1970s scientists dedicated a large amount of research in sensory processing whilst exploring the field of ASD, and researchers found evidence of impaired sensory modulation (Stroh Buick, 1964), this study provided initial evidence for anecdotal and clinical reports of problems in multisensory integration among individuals with ASD. Multisensory processes facilitate children in numerous cognitive processes that are important in learning. Fifer et. al (2011) tested the link between auditory noise in the background, multisensory integration and childrens general cognitive abilities in children. Eighty eight children participated in this study with the mean age of 9 years and 7 months. A simple audiovisual paradigm was used for detection. The results showed that children who have enhanced ability for multisensory integration in both quite and noisy conditions are more likely to score above average on the Full Scale IQ of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV). 45%. Children with low verbal and non verbal ability showed reduced multisensory integration in either quite or noisy condition. About 20% showed better multisensory integration when there was background noise present. The findings of the experiment showed evidence that consistent multisensory integration in quiet and noisy conditions is some ways related to the development of general cognitive abilities. Ambiguous figure recognition: Ambiguous figures are figures that represent themselves in more than one way. In the past decades idea of ambiguous figure reversal has been meticulously studied by psychologists. The earliest designs of picture ambiguity may be as old as prehistoric cave art Melcher Wade, (2006). Another famous example of ambiguous figures is the Necker cube, the founder of Necker cube was a Swiss naturalist Necker (1832) and after that era other ambiguous figures were seen e.g. duck/ rabbit (Jastrow 1900) and the vase faces (Rubin 1958). Psychologists have been very interested in ambiguous figures as it provides insights to cognitive and sensory processing by means of visual processing. (Toppino 2004) performed a thorough review of ambiguous figures research, and stated that ambiguous figures opens a wide window in the fundamental mechanisms involved in the processing of the visual system which includes sensory, cognitive, motor and physiological processes. Perceptually ambiguity is the norm with regards to its special features. Particular features of an object for example distance or size cannot be seen only by our retinal input, our experiences drive our perception and information about our environment that we live in so in other words our knowledge of past experiences derived helps us in disambiguation of precepts. These experiences could be visual or involve other senses for example taste, smell, hearing, temperature or pain (Gregory, 1966). The history has showed two main theories of reversing representations of bi stable figures satiation theory and cognitive theory. Toppino et al (2005). Satiation theory states that reversing two different representations of ambiguous figure happens through a process analogous that leads to neuronal exhaustion due to tiredness when images of colours are perceived (Kohler, 1940; Long Toppino, 1981). When participants stared at a green patch and then shift their view to a white patch they eventually see red colour. What actually happens is that staring at a green colour patch fatigues the green neurons being fired in the brain and when the attention is shifted to white colour patch then the red neurons that are not fatigued dominate. Keeping this theory in mind when participants perceive a duck as an ambiguous figure, will weaken the neurons that represents the duck, and then representation of rabbit is perceived. Cognitive theory states that reversal of ambiguous figure can only happe n if the person observing the figure is aware consciously that the figure is ambiguous. (Girgus, Rock, Egatz, 1977; Rock Mitchener, 1992; Rock, Gopnik, Hall, 1994; Rock, Hall, Davis, 1994). Satiation theory and Cognitive theory map on to top down vs. bottom up processing debate. In a study performed by Girgus et al, (1977), high school students were shown ambiguous figures and they were made aware beforehand that the figures are reversible but they were not told the possible alternatives. Results showed that one half of the students made spontaneous reversal. In another study performed by Rock Mitchener, (1992), about one third of participants were able to reverse spontaneously. Cognitive development in children is a very complex developmental process and certainly is not as simple as it seems. Martin J. Doherty and Marina C. Wimmer looked at which cognitive processes and developments are important for children to experience reversal to understand ambiguous figures in children. 138, 3-5 year old children participated in these two studies to test the idea that a complicated understanding of ambiguity is needed to learn bistable stimuli (Gopnik et al 2001) Duck or rabbit? In the first experiment a novel Production task measured the ability to recognise ambiguity of the figures. The children found this task easier than the Droodle task and the level was similar to the False Belief task and was significantly correlated to the False Belief Task. The same findings were tested again in second study and the results showed that it was much more difficult to perceive the reversal of ambiguous figures than the Production or the False Belief task. The results revealed v ery interesting findings that children only try to reverse the figures when they understand the representational relationship amongst the figure and its ambiguity. The process that helps in reversal of figures is difficult, and most probably need developments in areas such as executive functioning and imagery abilities. Ambiguous figure reversal studies are also been found to be useful in showing indications of the presence of autistic traits in a big number of population. In a study performed by (Best, Owens, Moffat, Power and Johnstone 2008) showed evidence that the performance of adolescents in reversing ambiguous figures has showed in advance, the probability of participants to have characteristics of autism, poor mental abilities and superior visio- spatial attributes. (Best et al) has emphasized that there is clear evidence that ambiguous figures studies is a very important modality to be studied in understanding autism on the contrary there is also evidence that even though autistic children who are unable to reverse ambiguous figures appropriately later in life they develop the ability to reverse Ropar, et al (2003). Capps, Lisa, Gopnik Alison, Soble David (2005), performed a study on young children to examine ambiguous figure perception and theory of mind. They observed that about one third of 5-9 year old children were successfully spontaneously able to reverse the ambiguous figures where as autistic childrens did not perform well in reversing ambiguous figures as normal children. It is surprising though that ambiguous figure studies and multisensory integration being such an important modality in understanding cognition and visual processing etc there has not been extensive research done on childrens understanding and perceiving of ambiguous figures. Gopnik, Rock and Hall (1994) studied the perception of ambiguous figure task in children and suggested that figure reversal is much more complex than just low level perceptual process, they also found that even though children were informed of the ambiguity of the figures, 3 year old children still failed to reverse and only 50 percent of the 4 year old children were successfully able to reverse the main result is that young children aged under 5 are unable to reverse ambiguous figures Gopnik and Rosati (2001), Rock Gop nik and Hall (1994). Centuries of long term research with adult participants suggests that bottom up (lower level) processing in our brain and higher level cognitive processes (top down) processes play a fundamental role in assisting us to disambiguate ambiguous figures. Top down processing theory suggests that there is a voluntary control over the ability to reverse; knowing that we are dealing with ambiguous figures which have more than 1 interpretation to them is an important element and the willingness to reverse the ambiguous figure. On the contrary bottom up processes in our brain assists us in disambiguating ambiguous figures are related with neural weakness/ satiation as predicted by Gestalt Psychologists. Marina et al (2005) performed four studies with 63 children, 3, 4 and 5 year olds, results showed evidence that in young children the concept of more than 1 interpretation develops around the age of 4 but the perception of ambiguity develops around the age of 5. The role of visual attention in processing multisensory information in humans: Visual attention plays an important role in processing multisensory information which helps humans to select information across the visual field. It is considered that genes are somewhat or partly responsible for the development of our attentional networks in the brain but there are other important factors (e.g. particular experiences provided by caregivers and also the culture that we live in play a vital role). We attend to the visual information in our surroundings by simply looking at various locations. The centre portion of our eyes is called fovea, as fovea tend to have better vision it provides us a benefit when viewing different locations. There are two types of attention covert attention and overt attention. Simply looking at different locations e.g. finding your motorcycle in the parking lot or your friend in a restaurant this type of attention is called overt attention when its easier to observe their eye movement, another type of attention which enables us to attend to va rious locations without the movement of our eyes is called covert attention. According to John Colombo (2001) Rudimentary forms of various attention functions are present at birth, but each of the functions exhibits different and apparently dissociable periods of postnatal change during the first years of life. Susan E. Bryson (2010) suggested that humans ability to move attention in space effectively plays a vital role in our ever changing world. From very early in life, our ability to selectively orient or redirect attention allows us to connect with key others, to learn about and make sense of the world, and to regulate our emotional reactions. The functional anatomy reveals that orienting system is connected to areas of the parietal and frontal lobes in our brain. Posner (1980) suggested that orienting can be implied by showing a cue where you want the participants attention at a specific space which provides a platform for the participant to pay attention towards the cued position by moving or not moving their eyes. FMRI studies have showed evidence that superior parietal lobe is connected with orienting after the presentation of cue Corbetta et al (2000). The alerting mechanism tends to be associated with parietal and frontal regions of the brain. It has been seen that ongoing vigilance and performance tasks activates specific levels of alertness and these tasks has the ability to activate parietal and frontal areas of the right hemisphere in the brain Coull et al (1996); Marrocco et al (1994). Neuropsychological experiments have shown evidence in animals that an unexpected sound can enhance perceptual processing of suc ceeding visual stimuli. Recent studies Nadia et al (2002) have shown that perceptual processing enhancement also exists in humans. This phenomenon can be explained by means of cross modal interaction effects. Nadia et al (2002) showed in a study that auditory stimuli can enhance visual system in a detection task in humans as well. Michael Posner (1994) has performed very interesting research in order to study attention in humans and the three attention networks using the ANT (Attention network test) flanker task, which is an effective tool and allows us to test voluntary and involuntary attention. It helps us to study how brain pays attention to emotional events Fan et al. (2002), Posner and Peterson (1990). In this study subjects were asked to keep their eyes fixated at a point when flanking stimuli are presented on the right or left side of the fixated points. Posner stated that flanking stimuli can be detected easily even when their eyes are fixated on the cross hairs Posner (199 4). In conclusion Multisensory facilitation starts at a very early age and continues to develop throughout the childhood. Nardini et al (2006) suggested that children automatically combine auditory and visual information and this multimodal integration is matured around the age of 9-10 years. One possible domain is when children use auditory and visual information to disambiguate ambiguous figures in order to understand how multisensory integration assists young children to disambiguate ambiguous figures. Therefore this study employed an experimental design similar to Posner Michael (1994), flanker task. The role of multisensory integration in understanding ambiguous figures can be very useful for young children and atypically growing children suffering from (e.g. autistic spectrum disorder or dyslexia). Thus I proposed a study to examine what role does multisensory integration specifically audio and visual integration play in disambiguating ambiguous figures in young children. Hence it was decided to investigate the possibility that participants performance will be faster in congruent trials (where an ambiguous figure is shown with a simultaneous sound, and the auditory cue was congruent with reference to subsequent target). For example an ambiguous figure showing a duck and a rabbit, the sound accompanying it was quack representing, the duck which is facing towards the left side and the target (star) appears on the left side as well. Whereas for Incongruent trials (auditory cue is not congruent with reference to the subsequent target). Finally neutral trials where ambiguous figures are presented with non related simultaneous sound (e.g. sound of a motorcycle racing) presented with an ambiguous figure showing a duck and a rabbit and then a target appears on the left or right of the screen. Method: Participants: After seeking ethical approval from the Department of Psychological Sciences Birkbeck University of London and authorisation from all parents of young children, 45 young male and female healthy children from a local primary school were randomly employed to participate in this experiment. Three participants (1 female from reception class, 1 male from year 2 and 1 female from year 4) did not complete the study so their incomplete data were extracted from the study. Six children with learning disabilities also participated in this study but their data was discarded due to ethical purposes, as performing this experiment with disable children was not one of the aims of this study, I aimed to perform this study with healthy children, and so the results could be generalized to a healthy population of children. The experiment was performed on three different age groups of children. The first group consisted of 4-5 year old children who attended reception class, the second group had 6-7 year old children who attended grade 2 and third group 8-9 year old children who attended Year 4 in a local Primary School. The study was completed in three different early morning sessions. Stimuli: The stimuli (ambiguous figures) were displayed on the laptop screen using an e-prime programme developed by Dr Denis Mareschal. The ambiguous figures were black in colour the background was white as shown in figure no 2. The target was presented on either the right or left side of the screen. The participants were to respond to the target according to which side it appears on by pressing the corresponding right or left key on the mouse. On the Incongruent trials the target appeared in the opposite direction and congruent trials the flanking target appeared in the same direction and in neutral trials the ambiguous figure was shown with a non-related sound. Participants viewed the screen from about approximately 64 cm. The target used in this study flanker (star) can be seen in figure no 3. Figure number 2: Showing ambiguous figures used in this study representing more than one interpretation in one figures. Figure no 3: Showing the flanker (Star) presented on either right or left side of the ambiguous figure to alert the children in this experiment. Design: This non-routine experiment is based upon Michael Posner (1994) and Eriksen and Eriksen (1974) flanker task experiment. The computer based programme called E-prime Ambiguous Figures (a commercial experiment programme application) that runs on Windows XP presented on a 12 inch monitor to study the role of multisensory information in disambiguating ambiguous or bi stable figures in children. Trials are divided in to 6 blocks and each block consisted of 45 trials, 15 congruent, 15 Incongruent and 15 neutral trials. At the initial stage of the programme it asks for session number, gender of the participant and finally for his or her date of birth, upon completion of all this information press OK. Instructions appears on the screen Look for the star click the right mouse button if it is displayed on the right side of the screen and click the left button if it is displayed on the left side of the but