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Wednesday, August 26, 2020
Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Innovation - Research Paper Example There are different advantages that have been offered by various innovative headways, yet these progressions have been severally reprimanded by the rivals of the discussion of innovation being gainful or unsafe to the general public and its individuals. The rivals just as the defenders of the discussion utilize different investigates so as to help their cases. The advantages of innovative progressions have been all around reported and yet the negative impacts of mechanical headways have even been very much explored and these negative impacts have been as serious just like the reason for death among the individuals from the general public. As new innovative progressions enter the general public the worry of how adversely these headways are affecting people includes expanded inside partners and strategy creators. Mechanical headways may have a few advantages to offer yet it is severally harming the instructive, social, physical and mental existence of individuals. The utilization of mechanical gadgets has expanded consistently and these progressions are being utilized by individuals of any age including youngsters, youthful grown-ups, more established grown-ups just as seniors. Steinberg in his article has refered to different examinations that have been led so as to give knowledge with respect to the advantages of computer game innovation and in these investigates the populaces that were overview and watched included kids maturing 4 to 6 years of age, youngsters who were in the center long stretches of the school life, people who were filling in as grown-ups and different others (Steinberg 1). Likewise, Winteman centers around the utilization of innovation of web among the number of inhabitants in young people while talking about the effect of innovation on citizenry (Winteman 1). Mechanical progressions have severally harmed the mental prosperity of its clients. The advocates of innovation contend that mechanical advancements have affected the mental improvement of the individuals from the
Saturday, August 22, 2020
Linear programing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Direct programing - Assignment Example The General Manager has likewise chosen to deliver 600 units for the present creation time frame. At long last, a continuous agreement with the business wholesalers requires that in any event 150 units must be circulated through this conveyance channel. The issue is to set up the circulation procedure for the radios that will boost generally speaking benefit of the new radio creation. In the event that an adjustment in the marine merchants channel occurred and the benefit per unit tumbled to $80, the ideal arrangement changes and the complete greatest benefit is decreased. This can be ascribed to the way that $80 is a target capacity and in this manner affects the whole estimation of benefit acquired. Creating two units for the mail request circulation channel results into an expansion in the publicizing, the business exertion additionally expands, the creation unitsââ¬â¢ diminishes and the business retail limitation increments. The non positive qualities will be killed and thus the situation portrayed previously. In the event that the showcasing executive changes the Business distributorââ¬â¢s limitation and builds it from 150 units to 300 units, this will expand the expense of promotion and thus the expense of creation yet no significant increments will result on the last deals. The subsequent benefits don't increment and in certain situations misfortunes might be acquired. g) There is a chance about another dispersion channel. In the event that it has a similar individual deals exertion and publicizing cost of the Mail request, however a benefit for every unit of $110, okay suggest it? Would the ideal arrangement change? Why? It would not be suggested that another appropriation channel which has a similar individual deals exertion and promoting cost of the Mail request. The ideal arrangement would not change of the quantity of unitsââ¬â¢ individual deals per unit sold stays zero. The nonappearance of any incentive on the individual deals per unit sold has an impact in the ideal arrangement
Case write-up Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Review - Case Study Example For this situation, what the music business expected to do was to search for approaches to adapt the mass market for the music, particularly the more youthful age that would in general believe that music ought to be free. One of the issues that were available in the music business in 2006 was the way that there was no deliberate exertion to manage the issues. Rather than the significant players meeting up to build up an answer, they were occupied with battling one another. In situations where the players endeavored to meet up, this was just done as mergers and this didn't help in taking care of the issues. The greatest shortcoming that the music business had in 2006, and still stays an issue, was the powerlessness for the business to understand that web innovation was to remain and that it would move the state of affairs done in the this business for eternity. Rather than receiving the new ways, the players in the business were excessively bustling attempting to fend off the utilization of innovation. This didn't work very well for the business. Wells and Raabe (1) demonstrate that the business needed prescience here and thusly confronted a trouble in making the new innovation (web) an open door rather than a danger. Unexpectedly, the very wellspring of shortcomings was likewise the very wellspring of favorable position. A similar web innovation that was taking steps to decay the CD deals was a similar innovation that was expanding computerized deals (Wells and Raabe 6). The web furnished the music business with another approach to convey the music to the purchasers. The web could be utilized from multiple points of view, including advancing the offer of single tunes as opposed to relying upon selling entire collections like it was done in the customary CD deals. The utilization of web would likewise limit cost by reducing such a significant number of expenses, for example, the expense of delivering the CDs and DVDs. It likewise wiped out that requirement for outsider venders, implying that the clients could get the music at a less expensive cost. The new patterns for such music items
Friday, August 21, 2020
Miscommunication Employment and Carl free essay sample
Carl should begin the applicantââ¬â¢s direction on June 15. By July 15, the recently recruited employees ought to be in working status. Carl was reached by Monica on May 15 to guarantee he had manuals, preparing plan, direction, approach booklet, tranquilize test, and a progression of things took care of before the cutoff time. The after a long time after Memorial Day, Carl went to the workplace, to ensure the entirety of the desk work for the new candidates was prepared for direction. When Carl was experiencing the documents, he discovered things were not what it appeared. Two or three candidates didn't finish their applications, nor did they have their transcripts on record. Another issue was candidates were not sent to the obligatory medication testing facility. At long last the preparation room where Carl was going to hold is direction got reserved for that month he was going to hold preparing for fresh recruits. There are a great deal of issues that ABC Inc ought to be accused, yet Carl is liable for ensuring that all students are prepared for work. We will compose a custom article test on Miscommunication: Employment and Carl or on the other hand any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Huge numbers of issues ought to have been maintained a strategic distance from. 15 learners are not all set on the following period of their recruiting due to lack of common sense. This organization has some poor correspondence issues; thusly the employing procedure is messy and appears that issues possibly get fixed when they happen. On the off chance that even the organization itself has poor strategies, it doesn't mean Carl ought to keep poor gauges. Carl ought to have had an agenda prepared on the off chance that the any issues would have happened, he could have fixed the issue. The companyââ¬â¢s handbook is its staple. The manual speak to decides and values that laborers must follow. The direction manuals were missing pages out of the booklet. Expecting that everything in that manual is significant, ABC Inc. can't manage the cost of any pages to be missing. We should think back to see who got employed preceding the disclosure of the missing pages, to see who didn't get the data. Another issue is a lack of direction manuals. HR is normally generally speaking accountable for this. There is a stock issue and work force responsible for keeping stock. Carl additionally found that candidates didn't finish their application. I think both Carl and ABC Inc. ought to be to blame for this. ââ¬Å"If its never our deficiency, we can't assume Liability for it. In the event that we can't assume Liability for it, well consistently be its casualty. â⬠(Bach, R) If we never owe up to our own issue then we can never take sensibility for our activities. Perhaps the most serious issue that happened was the medication screening process. This could be the most serious issues of the report. This is an obligatory advance, which requires all students to finish this procedure before they starts work. On the off chance that this progression is postponed or missed, it ends every single other advance. Agreeing toà Yahoo business ââ¬Å"If you have been on a pursuit of employment as of late, you may have seen that numerous businesses presently necessitate that you take a pre-work sedate test. You need to breeze through the medication assessment so as to obtain the activity that you are looking for. Numerous individuals feel this is a superfluous advance for a business to take. In any case, the business doesnt see it a similar way. â⬠What are transcripts? As indicated by (Merriam-Webster) ââ¬Å"Definition ofà TRANSCRIPT To a composed, printed, or composed copy;â especially:â a for the most part composed duplicate of directed or recorded material. â⬠Personal administrative work can be delicate material when managing your organization. Missing transcripts show an absence of protections gives that can prompt issues on the two sides. Normally when this occurs, the individual accountable for that office ought to have been suspended or terminated. These models show how your organization handles its desk work. The most serious issue is a need correspondence. Today we live in a correspondence based-society. There are a couple of thing that could have been done distinctive to maintain a strategic distance from issues that this organization is having. ABC Inc. necessities to have the entirety of their data they give and get from representatives put away on an online database. For instance: if Carl finds that the representative manuals have missing pages, he could have downloaded them it from the website. Carl had to realize who finished the application. Online application for learners to round out is helpful. He could go online from any PC to check. Any candidate who didn't finish the application, could have reached them on the spot to guarantee all applications are rounded out accurately. In the event that the organization didn't feel great with online database, they could go with an associate what will deal with the handling administrative work. You can't turn out badly on the off chance that you recruit someone to make a particular showing, instead of stack everything on Carlââ¬â¢s plate. A pre-work tranquilize screening is a major issue since it is significance to have sedate free representative. There are two different ways to move toward this issue. First you can do in-house medicate testing. This is quickest and most effortless approach to get results and know whether candidates took the medication screening directly on the detect Another way you can get your medication pre-screening for representatives is redistributing at a nearby facility. This technique is somewhat more pricy however the testing procedure dealt with by experts. The two techniques can't work on the off chance that you don't speak with the two gatherings. Carl found that a collaborator is consuming the preparation room a similar time he expected to prepare the new candidates during the direction. There are a couple of answers for this issue. One path is to utilize nearby lodging gathering rooms. You can hold a live with just a multi day notice ahead of time. Another strategy like the arrangement is the site www. regus. com. Regus is an organization that has more than 4,500 gathering rooms across 600 urban communities in 100 nations so you can meet your clients in an advantageous area. As per Regus. com. This is the best wagered when you need a gathering place set up in a limited quantity of time. It is significant that there is a zone where Carl can prepare new representatives. Ensuring that they get the correct data before they go out to the work power. Carl not have a preparation room was significant and should have been tended to. Subsequent to doing some exploration I have pick the site www. regus. com. They have the most prepared accessible territories on the planet There was one principle reason I have decided to go with Regus over only a neighborhood lodging meeting room. When you get the gathering room from the inn, you despite everything need to stress over the materials in the room like Wi-Fi, whiteboard, etcâ⬠¦ Regus gives all of conveniences their meeting rooms. â⬠This is the ideal answer for any very late arrangement required. Each issue that Carl had was because of an absence of correspondence. When he understood what wasn't right, he was adhered attempting to fix the issues. I recommend getting a partner to keep Carl educated once something turned out badly. This is likewise a HR issue, so Carl ought to have called HR to deal with a portion of these issues. ABC Inc. needs work association, correspondences, and more staff in the HR office. ABCââ¬â¢s is disorderly with their employing procedure. Certain means ought to be taken to tidy that office up and dispose of a great deal of disarray on the two closures. Possibly have someone to come in and patch up the entire framework would be a decent proposal. Whenever there is an absence of correspondence among Carl and Abc Inc. Carl will have reinforcement an arrangement. Interestingly, Carl can learn for this experience and proceed onward. This may be a wake call for Carl. ABC Inc probably won't be the organization Carl might want to work for after this. Be that as it may, for Carl, this is an exercise learned and ideally he will his this later on to improve descisions. Supplement Appendix A Here are a few realities and steps to set up in-house tranquilize testing as indicated by www. usscreeningsource. com ââ¬Å"Developing your own in house tranquilize testing system can spare roughly half off your present lab expenses! 1. Set up a composed substance misuse strategy Train your managers Educate your workers Consider giving an Employee Assistance Program 2. Execute a medication testing program 3. Teach your representatives ââ¬Å" Appendix A Here is two or three things www. regus. com organization offers. ââ¬Å"You can organize our gathering spaces for a wide range of business events â⬠pick a format that accommodates your gathering: * Boardroom ââ¬Ã¢ perfect for formal gatherings * Cabaret â⬠incredible for communitarian working * Theater â⬠for proficient introductions * Classroom â⬠an agreeable training environmentâ * U-shape â⬠empowers and supports open conversation Or browse standard gathering rooms, loose yet secret meeting rooms or video correspondence suites. All gathering rooms are served by a committed help group and include: * FREEà Internet * FREEà Flipchart, whiteboard and markers * FREEà Water * FREEà Pads Plus phone with speakerphone work, cooking administrations accessible and utilization of a LCD projector and screen whenever required. â⬠References 1. Richard Bach. (n. d. ). BrainyQuote. com. Recovered April 1, 2013, from BrainyQuote. com Web webpage: http://www. brainyquote. com/cites/cites/r/richardbac389113. html Read more at http://www. brainyquote. com/reference/cites/cites/r/richardbac389113. html#9JV
Monday, August 17, 2020
How to Write Accomplishments on Your Resume
How to Write Accomplishments on Your Resume An accomplishment section is a great addition to your resume. It can help demonstrate your skills in action and show the potential employer that you can add value to the organization beyond just performing your duties.But we all know that bragging about our accomplishment isnât always easy. Not to mention being sure what even counts as an accomplishment! Sure, youâve gone to work each day but thatâs not really an accomplishment, is it?In this guide, weâll go through what constitutes as an accomplishment and how to write the section in style. You can find plenty of tips and concrete examples to help you create a winning resume. WHATâS AN ACCOMPLISHMENT?Before we start looking at how to write the section, itâs important to understand what accomplishments mean. You want to ensure the section is about your accomplishments and not just a list of other things. The most common confusion amongst job applicants is to treat accomplishments as duties or strengths.Accomplishments are specific actions youâve taken and which have resulted in a beneficial outcome. The outcome must be something better than what was expected of you â" it must provide positive benefits to either you or the organization you were working for.Itâs not about the things you were meant to do. Itâs not an accomplishment to manage a clientele of 100 people â" this is a duty; something that was part of your job description in the first place. An accomplishment would be something like âI helped grow the client-base from 100 to 150 in six monthsâ. This wouldnât just be doing your job but going above and beyond your usual duties.Furth ermore, your accomplishment shouldnât be a list of your strengths either. You donât need to list your characteristics here or mention you are good at languages â" youâd rather want to outline an achievement that provided benefits.BEFORE YOU START WRITING ACCOMPLISHMENTSNow that you know what constitutes as accomplishments, you can start preparing to write them. You should take the following three steps to get started.Brainstorm and list your accomplishmentsTake a piece of paper or open a Word-document and start brainstorming. You can just write all the accomplishments you can think of from your career and academic life. If you want, you can even mention any major accomplishment from things youâve done outside of your academic or work career â" for example, any accomplishments from your voluntary work.Donât edit or think too much at this stage. Just let your mind flow and look back to the things youâve achieved in the past. To make the brainstorming session easier, you should ask yourself the following questions:Have I received praise or recognition from colleagues or bosses? What were the specific tasks I was applauded for?Have I received a promotion, and award or commendations from clients?Have I been selected to be part of special projects or committees?Am I known for something specific in the workplace or team?What are the accomplishments I feel the most proud?Include anything that comes to mind at this point â" the time for editing and refining is later. If youâre finding it hard to come up with any accomplishments on your own, you can always ask your colleagues or friends to help.Understand and list the qualities the job is looking forNext, you want to take another piece of paper and analyze the job posting. You want to carefully read it through and list all the things the employer is looking for in the perfect candidate. List those skills and characteristics.Think about the items youâve listed in terms of the achievements that would sh owcase them. What kinds of achievements would help you in the role? For example, if the employer is looking for an experienced IT person, think how your accomplishment could show this? Perhaps youâve received a special award for your IT skills or youâre known as the âunofficial IT guyâ at the office.Pick the achievements the employer is looking forNow itâs time to combine the two. You need to examine your listed accomplishments in the light of what the employer is looking for. Remember your resume has to be relevant to the job you are applying for and you donât want to waste the hiring managers time by including information that doesnât interest them. Therefore, you shouldnât list accomplishments, which arenât relevant for the role.You want to go through the lists and pick out the accomplishment that best fit the job description. Those achievements that highlight your ability to perform in the role and help the organization move forward.WRITING ACCOMPLISHMENTS ON Y OUR RESUMEYou now have a list of accomplishments that are relevant to the role. Itâs now time to start refining and editing your accomplishments.You need to focus on resultsRemember how at the start we talked about the difference between an accomplishment and a duty. You are not here to tell what youâve done, as much as you are to tell what happened as a result. The key to accomplishment is in the outcome â" the recognition of your actions.Therefore, your focus should be on the results. Your accomplishment section should show how youâve been able to do something outside of what was expected of you. You want to focus on the benefits you brought to the employer or for your own professional career.For example, your accomplishment section should state things like âIâm a hard working employee, who stays overtime to get the job done.â Thatâs not an accomplishment. But if you say, âI often stay overtime to finish my projects, which has resulted in praise from my colleagues and boss,â you are presenting an accomplishment. You are doing something that has caused people around you to recognize it positively â" in this case, you doing overtime helps the team finish projects.You should quantify your achievementsAnother important thing is to focus on quantifying those results. You want to use figures because they add more context to your accomplishments. Look at the examples below and think which one sounds more impressive:âIâve been recognized by my colleagues as a great customer service person.ââIâve been awarded the customer service person of the month award for three months in a row by my employers.âYou probably agree the latter example is much more powerful. It illustrates the accomplishment clearer â" not only do you mention thereâs an actual award for it (i.e. a competition youâve won), but you also highlight youâve not just done it twice but THREE times.When you are looking at your chosen achievements, ask yourself:Have I rece ived an award or a concrete promotion due to my actions? For example, the Employee of the Month award.Can I illustrate those achievements with figures, such as percentages or monetary amounts? For instance, improving sales by 10%.Have I done things ahead of time and received praise for it? For example, finishing a project three weeks in advance.Of course, you wonât always be able to quantify everything you have done. You shouldnât pluck numbers from thin air here. If the accomplishment is appropriate and relevant in all other ways, then you should include it on your list without forcing a figure into it.Use action and power wordsAs you are refining your accomplishments and writing them on your resume, you need to pay attention to the language you use. The average hiring manager spends around six to ten seconds looking at your resume and itâs important to catch their attention. The best way to do it is by including colorful language. You want to include actionable and powerful words.You can find a list of great action verbs from the Resume Genius blog post âThe Longest Action Verb List in the Universeâ. It includes great verbs such as:ManagedImplementedDevelopedOrganisedCommunicatedInitiatedAdaptedYou definitely want to place your action verb right at the start of the sentence. Instead of saying, âMy colleagues awarded me with an awardâ, you should be saying, âReceived an Employee of the Month awardâ.So, what about power words? Those are words The Balance describes as words that âwill jump off your page, quickly showing the hiring manager that you have the skills and other qualifications for the jobâ. Now, there are different types of power words and the action verbs mentioned above are just one example. Others include words like:Words describing the company values.Words that showcase popular transferable and soft skills.Words that are used in the job description, i.e. the keyword.Words that are popular in the industry.As you can see, powe r words are easily identifiable when you research the company during the brainstorming session.Follow the PAR methodA great way of writing the accomplishment section can be to include achievements that follow the PAR method. PAR stands for:PROBLEM ACTION RESULTSo, you would take a problem, and then show the actions you took to resolve it and highlight the beneficial results. For instance, you might have been faced with a declining client-base at your previous work as a barista. You implemented a new voucher mechanism, which helped boost your clientele by 20%.The PAR method can be used in all sorts of ways. Please note the problem doesnât have to be something you actively noticed or went on to tackle at the time. It can just be used to add context to your accomplishment and provide insight into your skills. Presenting your accomplishment in this manner doesnât just talk about those achievements but also your problem solving skills â" you include a hidden message for the hiring managers, who are always reading between the lines, too!You also donât always have to use the PAR method in that order. You could also build the sentence by noting the action first before presenting the problem and the result. You can also just show the result first and then show the action and problem.The Problem The Action The ResultIdentified the companyâs inefficiency in accounting software and developed a new system, which helped save $3,000 annually.Develop new accounting software to tackle companyâs inefficiencies, resulting in $3,000 annual savings.Helped the company save $3,000 annually by developing accounting software to tackle inefficiencies.EXAMPLES OF GOOD ACCOMPLISHMENTS SECTIONSWith the above information in mind, you might be eager to see concrete examples of good accomplishment sections. Here are a few sentences you should consider when writing your resume:âManaged budget of X number of dollars.ââPromoted X number of times in Y number of years.ââG rew site traffic by X amount over Y period of time.ââPlaced stories in X number of publications.ââIncreased customer satisfaction rating by X percent.ââOrganized quarterly volunteer projects with upwards of 50 volunteers per event.ââReduced time spent on inventory by 20% by reorganizing physical storage of supplies.âSource: Jobscan.co blog posts from here, here and hereEach of the above example starts with an actionable word and includes a quantified example of a result. They are crisp and on point.Monster.com has also three great examples that show how to move your accomplishment from the initial rough idea into a polished answer. The examples include this one for a teaching job:Notes:When I first started, students were passing state exams at the dismal rate of 67%. I updated the curriculum and instilled the students with a love of history. By yearâs end, my students had achieved a 93% pass rate.The polished statement:Dramatically increased pass rate of eight-gr ade students from 67% to a record-high of 93% on state proficiency testing.You can see how the refining has worked. There has been an identification of the key figures and the use of the PAR method. In the above example, the method is used by first stating the action, then the problem and finally, the result. Furthermore, the single bullet point starts with a power word and an actionable word.As mentioned, you might not always have figures to present. The Monster.com post also has a good example of an accomplishment statement for these circumstances. This example is for the position of an administrative assistant.Notes:On my first day on the job, I couldnât find anything because the filing system was a mess. Customers were unhappy because wait times were long as we located files. I reorganised the filing system, which now works beautifully.The polished statement:Improved office efficiency and customer service by overhauling previously haphazard filing system.ADDITIONAL TIPS TO KEE P IN MINDYou should keep a few other things in mind when compiling the list of achievements. Itâs important to remember the importance of keywords when writing your resume. Modern resumes are often digital and they get scanned by a system called applicant tracking system (ATS).The technology uses keywords outlined by the employer to pick the resumes and applications who best match the employerâs criteria. Therefore, you need to ensure you select words and use language that would match those keywords and boost your chances of moving forward in the hiring funnel.How do you know what are the right keywords to use? You need to analyze the job description well. Itâs a good idea to match the wording on the job description and use similar terms and language the employer is using â" without forgetting to sound natural and only include skills and qualifications you have. You might also want to check out similar job postings to get an idea on the language the industry uses. You can fin d more tips on the below YouTube video: Hereâs a quick example to help you with keywords and writing the accomplishment. Letâs say the companyâs job posting is states the following things:You would be responsible for making marketing brochures.You would be responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility campaigns.You can include the keywords âmarketing brochuresâ and âCorporate Social Responsibility campaignsâ (CSR campaigns) by tying them to your accomplishments. For example, you might be able to write bullet points like these:Launched CSR campaign, increasing participation in an annual charity event by 30%.Created innovative marketing brochures to drive up sales by 20%. Itâs also important to avoid repetition. You donât want your accomplishment section and your skills section sound the same, for example. When you are writing the specific sections, you want to avoid mentioning the same skills and characteristics â" each part should offer something unique for the hiring manager to learn about you.So, make sure you donât just look at your achievement section in isolation from the rest of the resume. Ensure you donât list and talk about things you already have in the other parts and vice versa.In terms of formatting your accomplishment section, you should stick to bullet points. These are quicker and easier to read than paragraphs. If you are wondering how to format your resume, you should read this blog post.FINAL THOUGHTSWriting accomplishments on your resume might seem tricky. Weâre often told not to brag and now you are suddenly thrown into a situation where you need to boast. Itâs important to learn to keep track of your accomplishments as you go through life and to learn to give credit when credit is due.Like with any section in the resume, remember to keep it relevant to the job youâre applying for. Make it concrete by including figures and by outlining the situation with the PAR method â" focus your accomplishments on the re sults.With the above tips, you can write powerful bullet points that engage the hiring manager, impressing them with your skills and abilities.
Monday, June 29, 2020
Sustainability Defies Exact Definition And Achievability Business Essay - Free Essay Example
Viewed from economic aspects alone, sustainability can be defined in relation to an economy which is sustainable because of its dynamic efficiency and maximization of total welfare functions over a time frame (Stavins, et al, 2002). However, sustainability commonly concerns issues relating to society, environment or economy which three dimensions are perceived as to be mutually interdependent and not independent of one another (Omann, 2004, p. 68). Environmental sustainability accepts the premise that natural resources are expendable and can not be sustained forever (Dyllick and Hockerts, 1999). Environmental sustainability efforts include waste management and processes for recycling waste by production firms. Indeed, life support globally implies the need for regulating food, water, air, waste breakdown, soil fertility, and climate behavior. Economists like Pezzey (1989) and Solow (1993) aver that sustainability relates to the maintaining of a utility or welfare of a typical member of society. Economical sustainability is based on attempts to sustain financial viability or achieve optimum financial goals and is driven by the business attitude of businesses which implies the maximizing of shareholder or stakeholder value by firms (Doig, 1999). Firms can however attain both financial goals as well as larger social objectives (Duncan, 2002) while social sustainability implies a definition and need to achieve social capital (Putna m, 2000). Indeed, Putnam views social capital as being constituted of the various norms, principles, values, relationships, networks, etc. Gladwin, et al (1995, p. 2) even observe that organizations can become socially sustainable by internalizing social costs, foster democracy and also add to community value, while Dyllick and Hockerts (1999, p. 134) consider social sustainability as effective if it can help the various stakeholders to better understand social capital issues as well as align their aspirations with larger interests of society. Other research (Viederman, 1994) views sustainability as being a participatory process that both creates and follows a concept of community which can make effective use of all types of resources like human, natural, synthetic, human-scientific, technological, social, cultural, and so on. Achievable sustainability can thus be taken to mean the attainment of a social system for satisfying needs of the community at large, better protecting the en vironment, effecting and sustaining high levels of economic growth and assuring human development (Church, 2003). Sustainability involves the economy as well as the fundamental ecological and environmental systems and the broader social fabric containing the economy itself (Norton and Toman, 1997). Broadly speaking, sustainable development or sustainability is not only an ecologic-scientific concept that attempts to view it as delimiting the exploitation of nature or the environment, but more fundamentally is the formulation of the ethical ideal of equity as well as a balanced approach as between benefits and damages (Arnold, et al, 2001). Indeed, this ethic-normative view of sustainability represents the byword of the good and the right (Thielemann, 2004). Sustainability implies an ability to face uncertain events like hazards, sudden changes, innovations, etc. (Bruckmeier, p. 1389) while other research (Holling, 2001, p. 390) views sustainability as a continued game of trying and maintaining an adaptive ability. Sustainability thus defies an exact definition and essentially attempts to resolve problems like poverty, population explosion, wellbeing of humans, economic growth, industrialization and its unintended consequences, the destruction of the environment, climate change, depleting resources, a dis-embedded globalizing economy, etc. (Bruckmeier, 2009). Sustainability seems impossible to achieve, because it has a vague conceptual nature, such concepts are often disputed, involves complex problems that need to be resolved or addressed by changing social or economic structures and individual behavior (Bruckmeier, 2009). Sustainability also seems impossible to achieve in entirety, both due to its complex nature as well as the divergent approaches to defining and assessing it. Hence, while some sustainability objectives can be easily achieved, others need further control over extraneous factors of society and environment. Sustainability is in this sense an ab stract concept; humanity appears still to come terms with even some of the problems that endanger future generations. While sustainability is multifaceted and no single definition or assessment can serve all purposes, it encompasses two definite dimensions, viz. human and ecological. But, the very concept of sustainability is vague and a still-evolving theoretical construct. 3. Why sustainability is necessary Several authors have written upon sustainability and why it is needed. Their works differ in the way they view the problems facing the world and its life forms. However, broadly speaking, sustainability encompasses social, environmental and economic dimensions. Sustainability is necessary to resolve the problems caused by unplanned civilization growth and the diverse and unbalanced political, economic and social policies pursued by governments across the world. It is also a theoretical approach to address the problems caused by human interactions with nature over centuries of expansion of the human civilization. Spangenberg (2007, pp. 2-5) aptly summarizes the key problems facing human life and global ecology in one of his many background papers for sustainability conferences as being constituted of four key issues. One is the overuse of the environment and the consequent threat to the stability of systems supporting life itself. Another is the undervaluing of labor in different pa rts of the world as also the skewed distribution of incomes causing widening economic gap between haves and have-nots. A third is the way business enterprises follow a path of cost-cutting in tackling future problems though old strategies; new innovative strategies are ignored and old ones like mergers, restructuring, etc. are persisted with. The fourth and last is the crisis of legitimization caused by untrustworthy decision makers who can not ensure common good of society. Spangenberg also highlights several ways in which life on earth is threatened. Thus, according to him, there is massive degradation of marine resources that in turn impact fisheries, the threat to agricultural productivity due to deforestation and loss in fertility of the soil, the threat to human water supplies and utility of land for agriculture use due to depleting ground water levels and increasing ground water pollution, the loss of biodiversity due to massive felling of entire forests, the continuing loss in forest value, forest dieback and lake acidification, the danger to human health and decreased agricultural and marine produce owing to the phenomenally high rate of depletion of stratospheric ozone, the high economic costs caused by increasing temperature, increasingly unpredictable natural calamities, weather fluctuations and rainfall pattern changes which are again all caused by accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (2007, p. 2). One of the most comprehensive efforts at achieving sustainability is outlined by the INES (INES, 1996) which advocates the development of sustainability through protecting the integrity of the biosphere by practicing sustainable agriculture and forestry, preserving marine life and biodiversity, and by protecting nature via networks. It also advocates the efficient use of resources through social innovation, better resource allocation and efficient new technologies. The INES also emphasizes self-reliance, participatory democracy, fair tr ade, and peace and non-violence as being other essential features of sustainability. Obviously and as is commonly acknowledged, attempts to achieve sustainability seek to limit resource use so as to conserve renewable as well as non-renewable resources, reduce pollution of water, soil and air, control wastes through efficient recycling, control population, protect biodiversity in nature, establish democratic and social justice principles, implement basic human necessities and establish proper decision making systems, among others. However, sustainability is still only an effort at achieving ecological, economical and social objectives. It attempts to address issues like environmental pollution, economic sustainability of individuals, organizations and nations, as also seeks to attain social equity. In as much as sustainability concerns itself with improving and sustaining human life and its quality, it impacts a host of sectors like roads and transportation, environment, business pr ocesses, biodiversity, technology, industrial waste management, organizational strategy, and so on. Sustainability issues also relates to local, regional, national or global needs and aspirations. Local needs may or may not reflect global or national concerns; they may also indicate broader macro objectives of both governments and the global human community. Regional concerns may also often be perceived as being key decision making issues for successful sustainability achievement. However, global concerns encompassing environment, economy and society form a common ground on which all sustainability efforts, whether local, regional or national, are essentially based upon. Thus extant literature touches upon various sustainable concerns like land use sustainability, water use sustainability, natural resources sustainability, sustainability of special communities, sustainability or flora and fauna, sustainability of petroleum resources, and so on, although they reflect more of an ideal concept of sustainability achievement rather than a practically attainable concept. 4. Sustainability in organizations Earlier research (Friedman, 1970) point to a fundamental trade-off between a firms economic performance and its social engagement while it is commonly acknowledged that voluntarily engaging in social outcome may not hold sufficient or necessary incentives for a business firm to prefer such social engagement over its avowed policy of economic gratification. However, current ethical and social responsibility initiatives of modern firms belie this perception, although the adoption of social objectives may afford long term economic benefits to a firm. A business enterprise generally moves through six stages when it transforms itself towards sustainability (Dunphy, 2003). The first stage is that of rejection of negative impacts or the flouting of laws. The second stage is one of non-responsiveness of the firm to sustainability needs. Instead, during this phase, the firm follows a path of short-term profitability. However, in such a state, firm stand to lose their bearings in the alterin g market landscape and change management may often be too late in reversing declines. The next stage is that of compliance, when the firm builds upon its social and market reputation or brand as well as counters risks by following regulations and by respecting relevant laws. In the fourth stage, firms follow a path of operating and cost efficiency in the backdrop of its larger social objectives. In the penultimate or fifth stage of transformation, the firm follows a central policy of sustainability adoption and stresses on innovative processes, practices of systems. In the last or sixth stage, the firm tries to sustain itself. Such a sustainability objective transcends limiting and narrower economic considerations. Again, a firm also adopts suitable strategies for achieving such sustainability. Various scholars outline different strategies for achieving sustainability by a business enterprise. Thus, three traditional strategies for achieving sustainability are ecologically based and include an efficiency strategy, a sufficiency strategy and a consistency strategy (Huber, 1995). The efficiency strategy attempts to reduce material and energy consumption during production phase. A consistency strategy tries to maintain quality of output or products in a process. Such a strategy achieves quality and replaces existing noxious materials with naturally formed substances. Under the sufficiency strategy, the use of products by end-users or customers is optimized. Still other researchers mention four distinct types of sustainability strategies: a defensive strategy that minimizes risks, and is oriented towards society; an offensive transformative strategy that is also society oriented and tries to create new markets for society; the efficiency strategy is also defensive and oriented to the market since it focuses on improving productivity; the last type of strategy or innovative strategy is also an offensive one and attempts to achieve value additions for the customers in a sustainable market (Bieker and Dyllick, 2006). In addition to the three traditional strategies as outlined by Huber (1995), other research (Schaltegger Burritt, 2005) identifies four more competitive strategies with broader societal leanings. One is the sustainability market buffering strategy that attempts to define defensive business goals. This strategy views environmental and social concerns as threats to business and mainly tries to reduce existing legal regulations as well as prevent further ones from being formulated. The sustainability cost strategy is also environmentally and socially oriented, more of a compliance strategy and only attempts to fulfill the firms related obligations. The sustainability differentiation strategy recognizes that a firm needs to adopt suitable product or price differentiation in order for it to stay competitive and sustainable. The firm builds strategies via innovation, which afford it economical gains t and also builds up its brand value. The sustainability market development strategy tries and builds markets for the sustainable products of the firm. A firm following such a strategy tries to promote products sustainability, advocates stronger regulatory environment and also tries to change its approach towards business the customers (Schaltegger and Burritt, 2005). There is also a concept of corporate sustainability used frequently by organizational strategists. Thus some research points to such a corporate sustainability as being related to the sustainability as contributed by a corporation (Dentchev, 2004). Experts view two types of such corporate sustainability. One is the weak corporate sustainability which emphasizes that sustainable efforts should help creating total wealth that should not reduce with time (Atkinson, 2000). The total wealth is used to refer to the totality of social, economic and environmental value as created by corporations. Other experts view weak corporate sustainability as facilitating loss in environmental value to be compensated by social or economic values (Reinhardt, 2000), when the total value is stagnant or increasing; indeed, according to this view, weak corporate sustainability depicts a sustainable firm as being one that creates value when measuring costs and revenues at social opportunity costs (p. 30). Social costs can include private costs (e.g., capital and labor costs) and costs not directly reflected by market prices (p.27) Again, strong corporate sustainability means physical protection of absolute levels of natural assets implying that natural assets cater to complex ecological functions which are significant for maintaining and also such functions can not replace other assets (Atkinson, 2000). The weak sustainability concept depicts an economical concept of the sustainability discourse (Aguirre, 2002), whereas strong sustainability relates to environmental concerns. Again, others (e.g., Gladwin et al, 1995) view strong corporate sustainability a s being eco-centric. 5. Problems in achieving sustainability Several authors observe that sustainability considerations without including population control measures appear to render sustainability as a theoretical construct. Such authors view population control as a necessary precondition for ay sustainability strategy to succeed and also that, sustainability is just a fragile and simplistic theoretical construct when it emphasizes measures for managing land-use patterns and ideology while at the same time neglecting population increases (Wilson, 1995, p. 65). Again, Appleton observes succinctly that sustainability can be pursued in various ways, can even be achieved partially or to slight degrees, but can never be achieved definitely (2006, p.3-18). The reasons why sustainability is more theory than a practical proposition needs further explanation which this paper attempts to do. One theory has it that material resources are fast depleting on the earth and that sustainability or sustainable development can be achieved if maximum recycl ing of materials be possible or if materials being processed be limited in quantity over a specified time period. Thus, while economic growth is facilitated by increased use and consumption of resources, sustainability appears to succeed if the resources use is minimized. Bartlett observes that increased economic growth implies increased consumption of scarce non-renewable resources which goes against the basic sustainability principle (Bartlett, 2005, p. 27). Again he avers that population growth can not be sustained in a society and sustainability becomes more difficult of achievement, the larger the population (p. 35). Likewise, Spangenberg (2007, p. 15) too highlights how sustainability requires stakeholder integration, sharing of responsibilities and a need for a consensual approach to resolving problems, which in practice is quite difficult to achieve. Consensus also seems difficult to achieve due to differences in approach to adopting suitable measures for tackling the proble ms. Consensus also often fails with regard to facilitating better distribution of available resources since much of the same are the result of natures distribution and basically inequitable so as to hinder a unified approach to sustainability. Indeed, the achievement of sustainability requires the establishment of increased distributional justice as well as social care (Zeigler, 2003). Again, Spangenberg aptly observes that critical factors that can aid sustainability efforts to succeed include the adoption of innovative new processes, as also the political willingness to confront or withstand vested interests that threaten to disrupt unified and required sustainability goals (2007, p. 11). Several studies indicate multiple factors in modern organizations that serve to hinder the achievement of global sustainability. Since sustainability efforts involve rely on better and lesser use of energy and physical resources, use of recycling of resources and innovative new processes, meas ures for tackling pollution of water, soil and air by production firms, reducing income disparities and protecting and overall sustaining all the life forms on the planet, the role of business enterprises in the global sustainability effort assumes critical significance. However, there are several problems and drawbacks that plague business enterprises and which prevent the achievement of successful sustainability outcomes. Such drawbacks in firms encompass marketing, financial, etc. dimensions. Market awareness of sustainability and environmental issues are unequal amongst B2B, B2C and B2G sectors. Markets are also still price-denominated and there are few market incentives as yet to promote sustainable development. Environment policies need to be flexible and oriented towards the future. Embedded systems and traditional processes also render sustainability efforts difficult to attain. For effective change to occur so as to facilitate sustainable development, huge capital is also n ecessary. This too acts as a high barrier to suitable adoption of newer products or processes that can successfully align business practices with a global sustainability policy. There is also a lack of vision and commitment in senior management in organizations which also prevent a quicker adoption of sustainable practices within the organization. In a situation where change in organizational systems or practices require both high commitment and huge capital, lack of commitment and a sustained effort by stakeholders can not serve to achieve sustainability. Additionally, the management of enterprises often adopt short-term business oriented views rather realize and implement policies or processes for achieving larger goals of society. Again, a viable and uniform definition of sustainability is difficult to attain and underscores such basic differences which effectively prevents the adoption of a successful and consensual approach to resolving complex sustainability issues. Sustainabi lity is rendered all the more unachievable in as much as businesses are driven by self-interest and are obsessed by profit motive, governments tackle the problem in a disjointed manner, and individual decisions can impact the whole larger issue negatively. Also, governments all over the world technical, scientific, economic and social expertise to act upon key sustainability issues (Blackmore, 2001). Again, government regulators and law-enforcers often are corrupted and unwilling to implement key sustainability oriented policies. Hence, laws formulated to tackle sustainability issues and effected through the various treaties, constitutional provisions, and statutory rules and regulations are often not adhered to at local, regional or national levels; such laws are also not supported by adequate powers for effecting sanctions, monitoring or enforcement (Sunstein, 1997). Indeed, many authors argue for better accountability instead of pursuing sustainability, which appears to be an imp ossible dream (Barnhizer, 2006, p. 19). Elsewhere Barnhizer also avers that sustainability relating to the environmental, human rights and ecological aspect is unconnected with the actual human systems that are responsible for ensuring better economic growth and stable political order (2006, p. 17). Other research (Waldrop, 1992) also highlights another important aspect of human efforts to tackle sustainability issues; he says that narrow and short term objectives of those in political power across the world are mean that the political masters are unable to know in advance of the future catastrophes till the moment they occur by which time it is quite difficult and almost impossible to avoid the negative outcomes or significantly mitigated by any concerted political efforts. Several researchers (e.g., Yates, 1999) mention that most theoretical attempts to resolve sustainability problem issues are far removed from the reality of human systems as they exist. He avers that most such efforts at attaining sustainability emphasize changes to institutional systems and behavioral approaches of business which are very difficult to achieve, if at all they can be achieved in practicality. Also, even when such institutional or behavioral changes can be effected, there is a possibility of real crisis or collapse of systems to occur and which can effect to make political or other decision makers act in alignment with sustainability principles. Indeed, most attempts to tackle crisis also, when these do happen, are feeble and partial, necessitating critical support from governments as well as a mandated approach to regulating issues for successful sustainability achievement to occur. It is thus commonly a too little too late syndrome that negates all sustainability efforts to effectively tackle to any degree the negative consequences of such human-induced and highly degrading phenomenon of natural chaos or crisis (Yates, 1999). Barnhizer (2006, p. 18-22) too observes that problems in achieving sustainability have their roots in both natural as well as social systems. According to him, there is need to manage conflicting needs for providing social benefits, education, health care, pensions to the aged, and for alleviating poverty. Such a need entails availing massive funds in order to rectify wrongs that may have already been done to social, economic or environmental systems. Additional globalization and related problems like population growth, increasing transnational populations due to cross-border migration, the adoption of multicultural diversity, and a materialistic focus to life has changed human view of life and its quality. Urban locations are also increasingly becoming crowded as rural populations migrate to these places in search of better income levels, and coastal development needs massive investment, support infrastructure and supply sources. Also, increasing population, unbalanced distribution in population geographically and age demogra phics severely impact uniformity of adoption of similar sustainability measures all across the globe. Current economic systems are also more open, with information exchanges having facilitated the have-nots to better understand and aspire for what the haves possess in huge measure for rendering life of quality and comfort. Barnhizer therefore views such conditions as irreversible and such as to render a practical achievement of sustainability quite impossible and worth relegating to the refuse heap of history (2006, p. 21). He does acknowledge that some sustainability efforts can be successful in a limited way but can satisfy only a small finite population. However, he continues that local sustainability efforts cannot produce or be a part of a larger global or national effort at achieving sustainability. Again, he refers to organizational efforts at achieving sustainability over and above it profit goals as an impossible approach since business enterprises are only in existence to record more profits for its owners and shareholders. Relying on these profit-driven business enterprises for achieving nobler social goals as envisaged by sustainability advocates is both of lesser value and a predicator of non-achievement of larger sustainability outcomes (p. 41). More tellingly, he pinpoints the causes of the sorry state of sustainability achievement as the business systems and decisions made rather than on the decision makers themselves (p. 42). Elsewhere, he also avers that business enterprises run on investments and those who invest huge amounts of money want to get significant returns on their investments rather than on having their funds utilized for any social or long-term goals and this fact renders sustainable decision making quite irrelevant (p. 43). 6. A more optimistic view of sustainability The achievement of sustainability has been viewed with pessimism by many experts. The views of such experts go to support the view that sustainability is a mirage rather than actually achievable. The Brundtland Commission did not help matters any, although it still remains a defining agent for promoting global sustainability management, when it treated the population issue partially or not at all. Indeed, any attempt to tackle un-sustainability appears seriously lacking in effort as per the accounts of several eminent researchers and authors (e.g., Bartlett, 2005). Nonetheless, sustainability is actively promoted by governments and nations as well as rights groups and business organizations of repute. Thus, one hears of various sustainability initiatives like green technology, green supply chain, green architecture, green taxes, etc. Indeed, sustainability as an organizational vision and as followed by senior management in reputed organizations and business concerns is getting to b e quite common of occurrence. The achievement of actual sustainability hinges on the narrow or broad approach to sustainability that is envisioned by the management decision makers and the interactions of various organizational resources and the various stakeholders both internal and external, and some evident and some not at all evident- that constitute the complex organizational systems in modern firms. Often enough, management treats sustainability as a vision and ca not put it into concrete shape or direction. The traditional economic goals also hinder an active adoption of the sustainable goals envisioned by the management. However, many organizations have been somewhat successful in achieving objectives relating to sustainability within them. A global sustainability concept considers such operational or practical issues like focusing on social, economic and ecological growth, emphasis on social inter or intra generational equity, better integration of government policies, con tributing enhanced value to the environment, achieving responsibility of the global community, adopting a precautionary public policy, as also entail higher community participation in sustainable development. Advocates of sustainability preach a so-called triple bottom line that combines financial, social and environmental approaches. Successful sustainability achievement necessitates an approach laying equal emphasis on economic, social and environmental goals. However, in practice, this is often not achieved or achievable. Business organizations, for instance, are there to do business, and hence any notion of social sustainability is alien to firms following sound business principles of deriving optimum economic returns on capital employed. However, studies also indicate that, in the long term, one has to follow the triple bottom line approach for sustaining the very environment, economy and social structure in which business enterprisers operate. Achieving sustainability, therefo re, is more a critical need rather than an option to pursue or not to pursue. 7. Conclusion While sustainability or sustainable development is an idealized concept rather than has been practically achieved, it is also true that individuals, firms, societies, nations, governments, human rights advocates and the global community at large cannot remain immune to changes and evolving patterns in their social, financial, ecological and real-life environment. Emerging technologies as well as new streams of knowledge and innovation management are increasingly perceived as having the ability to solve many problem issues facing the human race, and not only in a limited environment that a business entity consists of. Indeed, business enterprises are only a small but significant part of a larger global community that can positively or negatively impact its environment; the intrinsic cause and consequence characteristic effect of nature can not be negated in the present or in the future by any means and perhaps, ultimately, the fight to assure as well as sustain human life and its qu ality for a finite or infinite period of time is dependant on the ways the various participants in the global community interact among themselves. Various regulatory or mandatory controls only serve to emphasize the fragile and fickle nature of humans; ideology is but the basic driver of all sustainability efforts that can well make practical efforts in the field a success. The real test for humans lies in the far or not so far future when, perhaps, everyone finds that it is already too late to reverse the final demise of humanity. At such time, the question of whether sustainability is a social construct and an impossible dream or if at all it can be practically achieved, would in all probability cease to have any meaning whatsoever.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
The Layout of Joseph Campbellââ¬â¢s Heroââ¬â¢s Journey in The...
Joseph Campbellââ¬â¢s Heroââ¬â¢s Journey can be found through the layout of The Epic of Gilgamesh. Steps from each of the major phases such as the departure, initiation, and return are steps in the epic. Gilgameshââ¬Ës Heroââ¬â¢s journey begins with the call to adventure this is where Gilgamesh tells Enkidu that they are to fight the beast, Humbaba ( 110.131-136). The call which is refused takes place within Gilgameshââ¬â¢s dreams that he will fail (117.50-60). The step is not very important due to the face that it is not an outright refusal, only subconscious thoughts. Supernatural appears in numerous forms throughout the epic, one being his mother is a goddess (106.268-270). The next imporatnat step listed is crossing of the first threshold. Gilgamesh and Enkidu leave the safe haven of Uruk and enter the forest (113.20-24) and begin their adventure together. When Enkiduââ¬â¢s dies, Gilgamesh enters the belly of the whale. That is the last of the steps of Joseph Campbellââ¬â¢s Heroââ¬â¢s Journey. During the rest of the story, the steps change order and some are taken out completely. One could argue a valid statement for each of the steps, but some are more figurative rather than literal. The Odyssey the Epic Hero Cycle Odysseus is the King of Ithaca. He has been fighting in the Trojan War and helped the Greeks win the Trojan War. After winning the Trojan War he wants to get home and reclaim his kingdom and to see his wife and his son, Telemachus. While on his journey home Odysseus faces many
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